The week in wildlife – in pictures: a baby gorilla, a rare black leopard and a sucker-bum squid

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

Main image: A family of mountain gorillas in Uganda. Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images

  • The warmer weather has brought deer back to a housing estate in east London, UK. Deer roam freely among the washing lines and bin sheds in Harold Hill, Romford
    The warmer weather has brought deer back to a housing estate in East London, UK. Deer roam freely amongst the washing lines, bin sheds and are part of urban daily life in Harold Hill

  • A rare black leopard deep in the forest of India’s Tadoba-Andhari tiger reserve. Its unusual colouring comes from a mutation that causes melanism, an excessive development of dark-coloured pigment in the skin. This darker fur may be an advantage in tropical forests, where very little sunlight filters through the dense tree canopy
    A rare black leopard deep forest of India’s Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve. The stunning black leopard, which is usually orange-brown with black spots, was captured by the stunned photographer from a distance in the reserve in Maharashtra State. The animal gets its rare colouring from a mutation that causes melanism, an excessive development of dark-coloured pigment in the skin. It is believed that the big cat’s dark colouration is possibly an advantage in dense tropical forests, where very little sunlight filters through the dense canopy of the thick woods

  • Two new pygmy squid have been discovered among the corals of Japan by the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology. “They’re super tiny,” a researcher said, “the size of your pinky nail.” The pygmy squid attach themselves to blades of seagrass by a sticky patch on their backs – hence their nickname of “sucker-bum squid”.
    Two new pygmy squids have been discovered among the corals of Japan by Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology. The ryukyuan pygmy squid are attached to a blade of seagrass by a sticky patch on its back, hence its nickname of ‘sucker-bum squid’

  • These southern white rhinos are part of a 2,000-strong group that were put up for auction by a private captive rhino breeding operation in South Africa. A non-profit NGO, African Parks, has taken custody of the herd and plans to rewild the animals across the continent over a 10-year period, as well as turning the original farm into a rhino sanctuary
    Some of the over 2000 white rhinos sold to African Parks are seen in captivity ahead of the rewilding process planned for the next 10 years, starting later this year, at a farm outside Klerksdorp, in the northwest province, South Africa. A South African NGO has purchased the world’s largest captive rhino breeding operation. It now plans to rewild the animals across the continent

  • A marine iguana swims in Tortuga Bay at Santa Cruz Island, part of the Galapagos archipelago off the coast of Ecuador. Greenpeace have called for the creation of a high seas marine protected zone under a new UN treaty to secure a much wider area around the famously widlife-rich archipelago
    A marine iguanahas a swim in Tortuga Bay at Santa Cruz Island, part of the Galapagos archipelago in Ecuador. Greenpeace have called for the creation of a high seas marine protected zone under a new UN treaty to secure a much wider area around Ecuador’s famous Galapagos archipelago

  • Elsewhere on the same island, giant tortoises make their views known
    Giant tortoises in the Galapagos National Park in Santa Cruz island, Ecuador. The Galapagos Islands are famous for its giant tortoise

  • A lean raccoon searches for food in Panama City, Panama. Guides from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute have reported that destruction of the raccoons’ natural habitats is driving them to the capital city
    A raccoon walks along the Cinta Costera, in Panama City, Panama. Guides from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) stated that the presence of these animals in the capital city is largely due to the destruction of their habitats. This situation is causing them to increasingly migrate to populated areas in search of food

  • A purple heron flies across a pond at Gardens by the Bay in Singapore
    A purple heron flies across a pond at Gardens by the Bay in Singapore

  • Red Fox, Sherwood Pines Forest Park, Nottinghamshire by Daniel Valverde – winner of the Habitat category at the annual British Wildlife Photography awards
    Red fox, Sherwood Pines forest park, Nottinghamshire by Daniel Valverde, the winner of the Habitat cateogry at the annual British Wildlife Photography awards

  • A black swan keeps a close eye on its cygnets at Kuğulu Park, Ankara, Turkey
    A black swan is seen taking care of its cygnets at Kugulu Park, Ankara, Turkey

  • Ornithologists check over a speckled owl at an International Animal Rescue centre in Costa Rica. Found in a ditch, the owl was malnourished; its youth means it may not yet be skilled at hunting. The team kept it for a few days to let it rehydrate, rest and feed, and then released it
    A speckled owl at Interantional Animal Rescue’s Costa Rica rescue centre. The owl was found in a ditch and was thin and manourished. The owl is a young adult and they aren’t always that good at hunting. The team kept him in the centre for a few days to let him rehydrate, rest, and feed him up a bit. The owl was later released

  • Almost camouflaged on the salt marsh of Llanrhidian on the Gower peninsula, Wales, this is one of many semi-feral ponies who graze peacefully on the various grasses
    Almost camouflaged between the long grasses of the salt marsh of Llanrhidian, Swansea, Wales, these semi-feral ponies graze peacefully on the various grasses

  • A brown bear woken early in Bursa, western Turkey. The species’ hibernation has been disrupted by global warming and reduction of their habitat
    A brown bear sits on a tree branch after the species’ hibernation was disrupted by global warming and reduction of their habitat in Bursa, Turkey

  • A family of mountain gorillas lives under protection as the species face the threat of extinction at Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, a Unesco World Heritage site in Uganda
    A family of mountain gorillas lives under protection as the species face the threat of extinction at Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site in Kanungu District of Ugand

  • A Cambodian coral reef releases eggs and sperm simultaneously in its annual spawning event. Synchronised mass coral reef spawning has been observed for the first time in Cambodian waters, demonstrating that the coral remains healthy despite challenging conditions
    Coral reef spawning in Cambodia. Synchronised mass coral reef spawning has been observed for the first time in Cambodian waters, demonstrating that the coral remains healthy despite challenging conditions. The spawning event, which will help to inform future conservation efforts in this area, was observed Fauna & Flora. Coral spawning – or coral reproduction – usually occurs once per year, when entire colonies of coral reefs release their eggs and sperm at the same time. The length of the release varies from just a few minutes to over an hour, depending on the genera of the coral

  • A ring-necked parakeet, also known as rose-ringed parakeet, munches on the flowers of a cherry blossom tree in St James’s Park, London, UK
    A ring-necked parakeet, also known as rose-ringed parakeet, munches on the flowers of a cherry blossom tree in St James’s Park. Cherry blossom trees in Central London, UK

  • An endangered fire salamander in southern Turkey. The bright colours of its skin serve as a warning of its toxicity to predators: when threatened, the fire salamander can spray a neurotoxin capable of killing a human if ingested
    A fire salamander, listed as ‘Endangered’ on the national Red List, is seen at Pozanti district in Adana, Turkey

  • Two bald eagles seen nesting in Toronto, Canada, for first time in the city’s recorded history. Authorities are keeping tight-lipped about the exact location of the nest, to ensure the eagles remain undisturbed
    Two bald eagles seen nesting in Toronto, Canada, for first time in city’s recorded history
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