An exhibition of world class wildlife photography is coming the Isle of Man for the Christmas period.

The Manx Museum is to host the hugely popular annual Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition, on tour from its base at London’s Natural History Museum.

Winning and commended entries for the 2008 competition will be on show, capturing the spirit of perseverance, ingenuity and sometimes sheer bravery of wildlife photographers around the world.

As ever, there is a very wide range of subjects, from intimate studies of individual animals to spectacular natural events and the scenic grandeur of the world’s wild places.

In all, a record 32,351 entries were made to the 2008 competition, representing 82 countries and proving how prestigious this competition has become.

The overall winner of the 2008 round was American Steve Winter, who earned the accolade Wildlife Photographer of the Year for his image of a snow leopard, captured after months of tracking in the wilds of northern India.

Catriona Parfitt, a British teenager from Swanwick, near Southampton, took the title Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year for The Show, picturing an encounter between a young lion and a giraffe.

Kate Hawkins, Curator of Natural History at Manx National Heritage said, "It is a real pleasure to host the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition.

"I am always astonished at the artistry and technical achievement of the images, and find many of them thought provoking as well as a feast for the eyes.  The exhibition has something for everyone with even the remotest interest in wildlife."

The Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition is owned by the Natural History Museum and BBC Wildlife Magazine.

Manx National Heritage has expressed thanks to PricewaterhouseCoopers for sponsoring the exhibition, which runs from 21st November until 10th January.  Admission is free.

Pictured: “Daddy long legs”, a winning image of Gran Canaria Spider Crabs from Jordi Chias.