Suzanne Tonga, Secrets Beneath the Violets (ANIMAL & NATURE 2025)

There’s something so beautiful about Tasmanian echidnas — the contrast between their sharp spines, huge hands and feet with their big claws, and their soft, fluffy bodies is just incredible. This was the first wild echidna I came across in Tasmania, and I spent about an hour quietly watching it happily forage. To my absolute delight, it paused among the native violets, giving me the chance to capture this little series of moments.

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.