“MOTHER'S LITTLE HEADFULL” -- THE AWARD WINNING PHOTOGRAPHY

Udayan Rao Pawar, a 14 year old Indian boy, who explored out overnight on the banks of river in Madhya Pradesh, to get a shot of the reptiles and crocodiles early in the morning, has won the precious title of "Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2013". The contest is co-owned by London's Natural History Museum and BBC Worldwide. Indian photographer Udayan Rao Pawar and South African Lensman Greg Du Toit have been named winners of this year's   “ Wild Life Photographers Of The Year”.

Greg du Toit 

Udayan Rao Pawar was awarded by the U.K. based Natural History Museum and BBC Worldwide for his wild life photography, titled “Mother’s little headfull,” which shows a mother crocodile with her young piled on top of her head in the Chambal river, a tributary of the Yamuna river which runs through central India in the state Madhya Pradesh.

Udayan's photography- mother's little headfull

Udayan slept near a nesting colony of the endangered area with the large fish eating crocodiles with a narrow snout to capture his shot early in the morning, according to a statement on the museum’s website.

He informed that the area is under threat from illegal sand mining and fishing. 

The young photographer describes the situation of his photography named “Mother’s little headfull” as the mother rose to the surface from the murky depths of the river in response to the guttural calls of the hatchlings, which then rushed towards her and climbed on her head.”

“It turned out that the mother crocodiles was the chief female of the group and looking after all the young animals that has recently emerged from its egg”, the museum said in a statement.

The young wild life photographer Udayan used the camera Canon EOS 550D and used 100-400mm lenses for his photography which made him to win Wildlife Photographer of the Year.

They are one of the largest crocodilians about seven meters in length with the thinnest and most elongated snout which elongates at the nostrils.

 The gharial is the most aquatic of the crocodile family and never moves far from the water, according to the World Wild Life. They feed on fish and other warm-blooded species which they catch between interlocking teeth. UK based museum which conducted the competition included the statement that overhunting and destruction of the habitat through dam building has reduced their range significantly.

Gharials have become extinct as they were hunted for their valuable skins. Even their eggs are stolen for food and young gharials today often get trapped in fishermen’s nets, according to the WWF.

Judge Tui De Roy, a naturalist and wildlife photographer, said the composition and timing of Udayan’s photograph was perfect. “The mother’s gaze seems directed at you, appealing to you to let her live and thrive in peace,” he said. “This image is beautiful and thought-irritating, but at the same time wonderfully playful.”

This year's Wildlife Photographer of the Year is South African artist Gred du Toit, who won over the judges with his photograph of an African elephant from Botswana.

He told BBC News that he had been photographing elephants for a decade in search of the perfect shot and chose elephants because he feels a very special energy and connection when he is around them."

Wild-life photography of the year

The contest for young wildlife photographer is open to candidates aged 17 and under and winners are awarded in three age categories, 10 years and under, 11-14 years and 15 to 17 years. The overall winner from all age groups wins £1,000 (about US$1,614), a trophy and a master class with a leading nature photographer.The 2013 winner beat 43,000 entries submitted from 96 countries.