The winners of Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2014 have just been announced, and as you would expect they are nothing short of amazing. The competition is hosted by the Natural History Museum and BBC Worldwide and this year received over 42,000 photographs from around the world.

The top prize was won by Michael 'Nick' Nichols for his photographs of lions sleeping in the Serengeti. To capture the photograph a special infared camera was used. You can check out that photograph below as well as all the finalist and category winners.

Winner, Mammals

The Mouse, the Moon and the Mosquito by Alexander Badyaev, Russia/USA

Finalist, Mammals

Creative Dining by Brian Skerry, USA

Finalist, Mammals

Fleeing the Flames by Greg Du Toit, South Africa

Winner, Birds

Herons in Time and Space by Bence Máté, Hungary

Finalist, Birds

Night of the Pelicans by Greg Du Toit, South Africa

Finalist, Birds

Feral Spirits by Sam Hobson, United Kingdom

Winner, Amphibians and Reptiles

Divine Snake by Raviprakash S S, India

Finalist, Amphibians and Reptiles

The Great Arrival by Sergio Pucci, Costa Rica

Finalist, Amphibians and Reptiles

Big Daddy by Yukihiro Fukuda, Japan

Winner, Invertebrates

Night of the Deadly Lights by Ary Bassous, Brazil

Finalist, Invertebrates

You Have Been Warned by Alex Mustard, United Kingdom

Finalist, Invertebrates

Sailing by Matthew Smith, United Kingdom/ Australia

Winner, Plants and Fungi

Glimpse of the Underworld by Christian Vizl

Finalist Plants and Fungi

Beach Guardian by Mac Stone, USA

Finalist Plants and Fungi

Golden Birch by Herfried Marek, Austria

Finalist Plants and Fungi

Snow Stand by Silvio Tavolaro, Italy

Winner, Underwater Specis

Passing Giants by Indra Swari Wonowidjojo, Indonesia

Finalist, Underwater Specis

Little Squid by Fabien Michenet, France

Finalist, Underwater Specis

Jelly Fireworks by Geo Cloete, South Africa

Winner, Earth's Environments

Apocalypse by Francisco Negroni, Chile

Finalist, Earth's Environments

Ice Land by Alessandro Carboni, Italy

Finalist, Earth's Environments

Magic Mountain by David Clapp, United Kingdom

Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2014, Winner, Black and White

The Last Great Picture by Michael 'Nick' Nichols, USA

Finalist, Black and White

Ray Rhythm by Pedro Carrillo, Spain

Winner, Natural Design

The Cardinal Sparks by Patrik Bartuska, Czech Republic

Finalist, Natural Design

Cool Heat by Juan Jesus Gonzalez Ahumada, Spain

Finalist, Natural Design

The Tracheal Tree by David Maitland, United Kingdom

Winner, World in Our Hands

The Price They Pay by Bruno D'Amicis, Italy

Winner, Special Award: Rising Star Portfolio Award

Feather Heavy by Michel d'Oultremont, Belgium

Winner, Special Award: People's Choice

Facebook Update by Marsel van Oosten, The Netherlands

Finalist, 11-14 Years

Green Dragon by Will Jenkins, United Kingdom

Finalist, 11-14 Years

Owlets United by Sitara Karthikeyan, India

h/t mymodernmet