Exotic, Unusual or Rare Animals in the Wild

I absolutely adore this image. Beautiful colour, detail around the eye and beak. Just a stunning closeup and a species of Toucan I've never seen before! I am biased towards Toucans but this is a contest-winning shot!

Great job and congratulations!

This is a great image and it's the rain that really makes it for me.

I love the colour of the hummingbird and the way it so complements the leaf to the bottom left; the contrast yet simplicity of the image both in terms of colour and composition.

And the rain just pulls you into the forest - it's like you're right there staring through the camera yourself!

Such a simple composition that really evokes the spirit of the middle east. The Arabian Oryx I know to be a rare species but isn't one I've encountered before. Great job getting this capture and keeping it so easy on the eye!

This is a fab photo - great job getting down to eye level. The reflection from the water and soft lighting against the silhouette from the bushes in the background is great.

The only thing that held me back from putting this in a top 10 spot was the sharpness of the image around the eyes - perhaps due to the obvious technical challenges of shooting a moving object in low light! Otherwise - Well done, a great image to behold!

OK - the pheasant is not so unusual for a Brit, but the warm breath visible in the morning light is something to behold.

What a beautiful image! The detail and sharpness of the pheasant is great as is the short depth of field. So much to enjoy!

Never seen one of these before! Bang on brief!

I'd just like to see a little more space in the image to the right, possibly a little more going on in the image than just the Fosa - but I love it!

This is an absolutely stunning image. The composition is superb, subject well placed in the landscape and the snow topped hills just sing of the beauty of Scotland.

Great job keeping so much in relative focus throughout the image. The only thing holding me back is the subject itself - being a Scotsman myself the Red Deer is just not quite exotic enough for me!

The gharial is a creature I'd love to see! A truly exotic and unusual specimen and the eye and snout just pop beautifully in this image; great contrast and i love the limited detail in the shot aside from the other gharial you get on closer inspection. Fabulous capture!

This image is a real cracker. Hits the brief nicely - a well known rare creature and a brilliant job getting the angle directly face-on.

Having tried taking photos of rhino before, I can also appreciate how fast the bloody things move so well done on getting this one so right.

Amazing - a bird the size of my thumb caught in such close detail with beautiful background colours. I've certainly not seen this one before!

Just looking for a smidge more sharpness at the eye and you'd have achieved perfection!

This is a super image - I love how the owl below comes as a bit of a surprise after seeing the first and it's great you have them both staring directly at the camera.

I'm not so sure about the white vignette however - although perhaps that's just personal preference.

Both unusual and striking! Full marks for the capture! I only wish for a little more sharpness. The image comes through as a little flat although I can imagine how difficult getting this crisp must have been given the action in the image!

I love this image but I have no idea what it is of or where I might find it! Amazing that you caught it with a compact camera!

This was right up there in my top 10 but the lack of detail got me wondering if this was something taken in a tank, and hence cast some doubt over whether it met the brief.

Being a Scot I love this image of a capercaillie - I've never seen one in the flesh before. A proper rare sight!

A little more off centre to the left perhaps and more interesting fore/background would the be the only thing i'd look for!

Love this portrait. The bokeh in the background and the sharpness of the macaw especially around the eye and facial features really complement each other beautifully.

What kept this out of the top 10? Perhaps I know the blue and yellow macaw too well for it to fully grab me!

This is a beautiful portrait! I love how you've managed to get the image in so much detail yet in contrast to whatever is in the background - although I'm left wondering where this was shot. It could as well be in a studio as in the forest!

Yet still, a stunning capture that really draws you into studying the subject and it's grotesque beak! Sometimes you have to wonder how these things evolve!