Bence Máté spent hours watching and following leaf-cutter ants in the Costa Rican rainforest just to get the one shot that might win Wildlife Photographer Of The Year.

But lying on the ground also infested him with skin-digesting mite larvae, which covered him in bites.

The shot he finally took won the Hungarian the top prize in this prestigious annual competition, an accolade he accredits as much to the creatures he was photographing as the artistry involved.

“They proved to be wonderful subjects,” says Bence, who discovered the leaf-cutter ants were most active at night. He would follow a column as it fanned out into the forest, each line terminating at a tree, shrub or bush.

“The variation in the size of the pieces the ants cut was fascinating,” he continues, “sometimes small ants seemed to carry huge bits, while bigger ones managed just small pieces.”

Bence’s winning entry is just one of 100 stunning, sometimes humorous and often thought-provoking photographs – winners, runners-up or commended in the competition’s 18 categories – that will be on show until March 13 at Science Oxford.

Wildlife Photographer of the Year attracts entries from professional and amateur photographers of all ages worldwide.

The competition seeks to promote the discovery, understanding, responsibility and enjoyment of the natural world.

The domestic animal kingdom in the UK also features, as Fergus Gill’s entry proves. The Young winner of Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2010 took his shot on Boxing Day 2010.

“It was so cold in Scotland (-17°C /1°F) that the birds were desperate for food,” the teenager remembers. “and a rowan tree at the bottom of the garden became a magnet for thrushes – five of the six British species – song thrushes, redwings and a flock of about 15 fieldfares, all picking the berries.”

Fergus wanted to capture the freezing feel of the day while showing the character of the birds in action, but the only way to get the angle was... to stand on his frozen pond.

Now that’s picture-perfect dedication.

* To see the works for yourself, including the images above, get down to Science Oxford at 1-5 London Place. For information go to scienceoxfordlive.com or call 01865 810000.

Children are welcome.