Week in wildlife – in pictures: a rare blue frog, a cheeky heron and climbing bears

The best of this week’s wildlife photographs from around the world

Main image: A colourful fluffy coot chick swims in a lake near Rottweil, Germany. The coot chick’s bright plumage is a method of survival as parents tend to feed the brighter more vibrant chicks more than the less colourful ones Photograph: Silas Stein/DPA/Cover Images

  • A jay and a juvenile starling appear to be squabbling in Leeds, West Yorkshire, UK. Jays are known to be aggressive birds, especially during the breeding season or when they feel threatened. They are very territorial and this one might have perceived the starling as an intruder. [• This caption was amended on 12 July 2024. An earlier version said the starling was a young sparrow]
    A jay and a juvenile starling appear to be squabbling in Leeds, West Yorkshire, UK. Jays are known to be aggressive birds, especially during the breeding season or when they feel threatened. They are very territorial and this one might have perceived the starling as an intruder. [• This caption was amended on 12 July 2024. An earlier version said the starling was a young sparrow]

  • A mountain lion is measured and tested for vitals by members of the California Fish and Wildlife Department at the San Diego Humane Society’s Ramona Wildlife Center in Ramona before his release back into the wild later that day. ‘Mountain lions are one of the many species that are threatened by urban expansion,’ said Andy Blue of Ramona Wildlife Center.
    A mountain lion is measured and tested for vitals by members of the California Fish and Wildlife Department at the San Diego Humane Society’s Ramona Wildlife Center in Ramona, California, before his release back into the wild later that day. ‘Mountain lions are one of the many species that are threatened by urban expansion,’ said Andy Blue of the San Diego Humane Society’s Ramona Wildlife Center.

  • A sea lion yawns on Sandfly Bay beach in the Otago peninsula on the outskirts of Dunedin, New Zealand. The New Zealand sea lion is one of rarest species of sea lion and is listed as endangered in the IUCN Red List of threatened species
    A sea lion yawns on Sandfly Bay beach, in the Otago peninsula, on the outskirts of Dunedin, New Zealand. The New Zealand sea lion is one of rarest species of sea lion, and is listed as endangered in the IUCN Red List of threatened species

  • A very rare blue-coloured tree frog, which is normally known for its green colour, holds on to a leaf in the Karacabey district of Bursa, Turkey
    A very rare blue coloured tree frog, which is normally known for its green colour, holds onto a leaf in Karacabey district of Bursa, Turkey

  • Bear cubs play and climb up a tree in the serene wilderness of Martinselkonen, Finland
    Bear cubs play and climb up a tree in the serene wilderness of Martinselkonen, Finland

  • A northern Pacific rattlesnake curls into a defensive position in the tall grass of a pasture along a country road near Elkton in south-western Oregon, US
    A northern Pacific rattlesnake curls into a defensive position in the tall grass of a pasture along a country road near Elkton in southwestern Oregon, US

  • Wild elephants feed in the jungle in Galgamuwa, Sri Lanka. Local people are mourning the death of one of the elephants, which succumbed to injuries inflicted in a human-wildlife conflict, underscoring the challenges faced by animals in the region. The death emphasises the urgent need for sustainable practices to protect Sri Lanka’s elephants and their natural habitats
    Sri Lankan wild elephants feed in the jungle in Galgamuwa, Sri Lanka. In a recent tragedy, Sri Lanka is mourning the death of a beloved elephant. The gentle giant is succumbing to injuries inflicted in a human-wildlife conflict, underscoring the ongoing challenges faced by wildlife in the region. This unfortunate incident is emphasising the urgent need for sustainable practices to protect Sri Lanka’s iconic elephants and their natural habitats

  • A cheeky heron hitches a ride on a hippo’s back to go fishing in Kruger Park, South Africa
    A cheeky heron hitches a ride on a hippo’s back to go fishing in Kruger Park, South Africa

  • A red deer fawn is cared for at an animal care centre in Ankara, Turkey after being injured in a local forest. The animals are released back into the wild after being fed and cared for by the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine
    A red deer fawn is looked after at an animal care centre after being injured in the local forest area in Ankara, Turkey. The animals are released back into the wild after being fed and cared for by the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine

  • A colourful fluffy coot chick swims in a lake near Rottweil, Germany. The coot chick’s bright plumage is a method of survival because parents tend to feed the brighter more vibrant chicks rather than the less colourful ones
    A colourful fluffy coot chick swims in a lake near Rottweil, Germany. The coot chicks bright plumage are a method of survival with parents tending to feed the brighter more vibrant chicks over the less colourful ones

  • A wild monkey sits in a forest in Sundarbans, Bangladesh
    A wild monkey is seen sits at the forest in Sundarbans, Bangladesh

  • Atlantic dolphins leap out of the water off Ponta Delgada on São Miguel Island in the Azores archipelago, Portugal
    Atlantic dolphins leap out of the water off Ponta Delgada on São Miguel Island in the Azores archipelago, Portugal

  • A moose strides among bushes and trees in a national park in Alaska, US. The Alaskan moose, the largest of its kind, has been observed in Alaska’s national parks and the state is home to one of the world’s biggest moose populations, with an estimated 200,000 to 250,000. Moose are often seen near rivers and lakes due to their ability to swim long distances
    An Alaskan Moose strides among bushes and trees in National Park in Alaska, US. The Alaskan moose, the largest of its kind, has been observed in Alaska’s national parks and is home to one of the world’s biggest moose populations, with an estimated 200,000 to 250,000 individuals. Moose are often seen near rivers and lakes due to their ability to swim long distances

  • Three barn owl chicks perch in a tree near Carlby in Lincolnshire, UK. The parent laid her eggs in the hollow of the tree and the owlets will not be able to fly for about another 10 days
    Three barn owl chicks perch in a tree near Carlby in Lincolnshire, UK. The parent laid her eggs in the hollow of the tree and the owlets cannot fly yet, they will fly from the nest in around 10 days

  • A rose chafer. The beetles are often seen on flowers in the garden and are sometimes maligned for munching their way through these plants. However, they are an important detritivore as they feed on dead and decaying matter and recycle its nutrients, which makes a helpful addition to any compost
    A rose chafer, often seen on flowers in the garden, and is sometimes maligned for munching its way through these plants. However, it is an important detritivore as it feeds on dead and decaying matter and recycling its nutrients and is a helpful addition to any compost

  • A six-week-old osprey is marked with a coloured ring of origin and the numbered ring of the Hiddensee ornithological station, Germany. Bird experts are currently ringing the young birds, which hatched a few weeks ago. There are 270 breeding pairs of ospreys in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, which raise about 400 young each year
    A six-week-old osprey is marked with a coloured ring of origin and the numbered ring of the Hiddensee ornithological station, Germany. Bird experts are currently ringing the young birds, which hatched a few weeks ago. There are 270 breeding pairs of ospreys in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, which raise around 400 young each year

  • A bee collects pollen from lavender flowers on a sunny day in the Bohemian Paradise nature reserve in the Czech Republic. To collect pollen, female bees visit the ends of the stamens, which contain lots of yellow pollen
    A bee collects pollen from lavender flowers on a sunny day in the Bohemian Paradise in the Czech Republic. To collect pollen, female bees visit the ends of the stamens that contain lots of yellow pollen

  • Indian star tortoises rescued during a raid on a house in Ampang in Malaysia’s Selangor state. Authorities have arrested six members of an international crime ring known as the Ninja Turtle Gang and seized about 200 smuggled tortoises and turtles
    Indian star tortoises rescued during a raid on a house in Ampang in Malaysia’s Selangor state. Malaysian authorities have arrested six members of an international crime ring known as the ‘Ninja Turtle Gang’ and seized about 200 smuggled tortoises and turtles

  • A squirrel holds a walnut in its mouth on a tree branch in Cukurca district of Hakkari, Turkey
    A squirrel holds a walnut in its mouth on a tree branch in Cukurca district of Hakkari, Turkey

  • A one-horned rhinoceros wades the flooded Pobitora Wildlife sanctuary in the Morigaon district of Assam in India
    One-horned rhinoceros wade the flooded Pobitora Wildlife sanctuary in Morigaon district of Assam India

  • Phillipi Dutra, a technician at the Jacare Institute, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, carries a broad-snouted caiman as part of the work of preserving and rescuing caimans native to the Jacarepagua lagoon complex, which are endangered due to urban expansion and sewage pollution,
    Phillipi Dutra, technician of the Jacare Institute, carries a Broad-snouted caiman as part of the work for the preservation and rescue of caimans native to the Jacarepagua lagoon complex, which are endangered due to urban expansion and sewage pollution, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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