Indian boy wins wildlife photography award

A 14-year-old Indian boy was named the Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2013 for his image of newly-hatched crocodiles basking in the sun on their mother's head.

Udayan Rao Pawar's photograph was selected out of 43,000 images from 96 countries submitted for the competition held by Natural History Museum of London and BBC Woldwide, the Daily Mail reported.

Pawar said he took the photograph at dawn on the banks of the Chambal river in Madhya Pradesh.

He said crocodiles are increasingly under threat from illegal sand mining and fishing in the Chambal river.

South African photographer Greg du Toit won the prestigious overall award for his photograph of an elephant herd in the Northern Tuli Game Reserve in Botswana.

Other finalists also captured a variety of animals from fighting jaguars to a monkey in Japan shaking off snow.

They also shot underwater turtles, freeing a bird from a sticky spiderweb and even risking life and limb to capture a volcanic eruption.

The competition is co-owned by two British institutions, the Natural History Museum and BBC Worldwide.

The Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition is in its 49th year.