RSPCA - Young Photographer Awards | News

News

You see it here first, all the news, gossip and announcements about YPA will be published live on these pages.

To keep up to date with all things YPA why not sign up to the e-newsletter and be the first to know all about what's going on.

2012 Winners Photo Shoot: Francis and Alex visit West Hatch Wildlife Centre!

YPA13 Launches Next Month!: This year's competition opens on Tuesday 28th May 2013
05 April 2013

We have our winner!: Arianna Ware wins the People's Choice Award!
25 March 2013

People's Choice Vote Closed: The decision has been made!
18 March 2013

Last chance to vote!: Who will win the People's Choice Award?
13 March 2013

People's Choice open for votes!: Vote for your favourite photo!
01 March 2013

YPA13 Launches May 2013!: Young photographers - start thinking of ideas!

2012 winners: Check out the winning entries from 2012!

Schools out!: Let the summer holiday snapping begin!

Perfect presentation: Amelia Robinson won the People's choice award with her photo of her cat Lily.

More Results:

YPA News Feed

21 May 2013
Red kangaroo: Red kangaroos are iconic symbols of the Australian outback, and are the largest living marsupials. Their powerful giant hindquarters enable them to leap along, covering a monstrous nine metres in a single bound. Red kangaroos have the ability to breed whenever conditions are right and twins can occur when food is abundant. A newborn weighs a mere 0.75 grams, and takes three minutes to make its way through its mother’s fur into the pouch, where it spends the next 70 days. A red kangaroo can cover more than 10 metres in a single leap.

21 May 2013
United Kingdom: The animals and plants that inhabit the UK represent a rich and varied biodiversty on our doorstep. From the beautiful adonis blue and marsh fritillary butterflies to the strange brook lamprey and the majestic oak, you can discover more about our wonderful wildlife through the BBC's film archive.

21 May 2013
Wales: Wales is a country full of natural beauty. Much of its landscape is , from Snowdonia to the northwest, home to the rare and iconic relic of the ice-age the , to the Brecon Beacons in the south. Bordered by the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to the west, there are 1200km of rugged and over 50 islands with significant colonies of such as , , , shags and razorbills. The islands of Skokholm and Skomer are home to more than half the world's population of . The impressive array of Welsh habitats continues with valleys, , woodland and , all full of wildlife. Welsh gems to watch out for include , and whales out at sea, distinctive and that charismatic crow of wind-swept coastal areas, the .

21 May 2013
Ynys-hir nature reserve: The RSPB’s 700-hectare Ynys-hir nature reserve encompasses a variety of habitats ranging from impressive , and to challenging , redbeds and . Situated on the Dyfi near Machynlleth in Powys, it is a haven for breeding wildfowl and wading birds, notably redshanks and . Wintering ducks and geese feed in large numbers on the and among the birds of prey that are present all year are , and iconic . The reserve’s heronry boasts nesting and . , , , , 19 species of , 26 species of and more than 400 species of also call Ynys-hir home. Ynys-hir translates as ‘long island’ in English.

21 May 2013
Reptiles: The reptiles are a class of vertebrates. Charateristically they are cold-blooded, have dry scaly or horny skin and a four-chambered heart. Most reptiles lay eggs with leathery shells, but a few types bear live young. Because they are cold-blooded, reptiles are more common in the tropics than in temperate regions and are not found in polar areas.

21 May 2013
Slow worm: Slow worms look superficially like snakes, but are actually legless lizards. One way to identify them is to see if they have eyelids. Lizards (and therefore slow worms) do while snakes are lidless.

21 May 2013
Sand lizard: Sand lizards are a particularly rare and protected species in Britain. They're found only in parts of southern heathland and the sand dunes of the the north west. In mainland Europe, however, sand lizards can be found in many more places including fields and woodland, parks and gardens. During the breeding season the male's sides become highly coloured, with some individuals turning almost completely bright green. These are Britain's only egg-laying lizards and they lay their eggs in the warm sand and sunshine to incubate. The young emerge in late summer.

21 May 2013
Common Lizard: Common lizards can both lay eggs and give birth to live young. They lay eggs in warm climates, and bear live young in cold ones. They range from northern Asia across central and northern Europe and are the only reptiles found in Ireland. They are good swimmers diving underwater when threatened, and can shed their tails to fool predators. At night, and when startled, common lizards shelter beneath logs, stones and metal sheets. They hibernate from October to March, often in groups, emerging for brief times during warm spells.

21 May 2013
Adder: Adders are the only venomous snakes found in Britain, although they are absent from Ireland. They use their venom to immobilise prey such as lizards, amphibians, nestlings and small mammals. After striking their prey, they leave the venom to take effect before following the victim’s scent to find the body. Although an adder’s venom poses little danger to a healthy adult human, the bite is very painful and requires urgent medical attention. Adders are the most northerly distributed snake and the only species found inside the Arctic circle.

21 May 2013
Smooth snake: Smooth snakes are Britain's answer to the boa constrictor. Though harmless to humans, reptiles and small mammals have much to fear. Smooth snakes kill or subdue their meals by squeezing the life out of them before finally swallowing the unfortunate victim whole. They hibernate communally through the winter and, after emerging, the males fight for females. Rearing up, they push their opponents to the ground and coiling around each other until one gives up. They are incredibly rare in Britain being restricted to southern heathland, but widely distributed throughout Europe.

21 May 2013
Grass snake: Reaching nearly two metres, grass snakes are the UK's largest and our only to lay eggs. A grass snake's speed and wariness makes it incredibly difficult to spot, but once cornered it is one of the few animals that as a defence against . If this ploy fails, a foul-smelling substance from the anus and repeated head strikes are employed to aid the escape. Grass snakes are active themselves of . Even , small and aren't safe - those are grabbed and swallowed whole. Common and widespread in , grass snakes are usually to be found near water where there is plenty of shelter and warm morning sunshine for basking in. They during the cooler winter months.

21 May 2013
Frogs and toads: Frogs and toads are the most diverse and widespread of the three amphibian orders. Unlike the other amphibians, adult frogs and toads have no tails but they do have many adaptations to jumping, for example long hind legs, elongated ankle bones and a short vertebral column. Many frogs contain mild toxins, but some, such as the poison dart frogs, are deadly.

21 May 2013
Palmate newt: Palmate newts are confined to Western Europe, but are absent from Ireland. It is said that the name ‘palmate’ is derived from of the appearance of the newt’s feet, the skin between its toes looking like the palm of a hand. They hibernate from November to late February/March, usually beneath stones or compost heaps, although young adults may hibernate in the mud of pond beds. On coming out of hibernation they migrate over land to breeding sites. The 8mm-long larvae hatch within two to three weeks and metamorphose to become air-breathing juveniles after six weeks.

21 May 2013
Great crested newt: Great crested newts are Britain’s largest newt species. Although now afforded some legal protection in the UK, populations have declined over recent years as a result of the destruction and fragmentation of their habitat.

21 May 2013
Natterjack toad: Natterjack toads are claimed to be Europe's noisiest amphibian, with the male call audible over several kilometres. Natterjacks are found in southwest and central Europe, but are rare in Britain. They can be found in southwest Ireland, pockets of Norfolk and Lincolnshire, along the coast between Lancashire and Dumfries and areas of Hampshire and Surrey where they've been introduced. Being poor swimmers, they drown in deep water if they can't get ashore. Short limbs mean they can't leap very far, and usually only do so as a startle response before going into their normal running gait.

21 May 2013
Common toad: Common toads secrete an irritant from their skin that prevents most predators from wanting to eat them. Unfortunately for the toads however, a few predators, such as grass snakes and hedgehogs, don't seem to be deterred. If they avoid getting gobbled by a snake or hedgehog, toads can live for up to 40 years.

20 May 2013
Common crane: Common cranes are the most widely distributed of all the cranes, breeding from Western Europe to Siberia. Monogamous pairs reinforce their bond with a series of calls and elaborate head jerks. Together the pair builds a ground nest within their wetland habitat from a mound of swampy vegetation. The job of incubating their two eggs is also shared, and during this time adults embark on the fascinating behaviour of ‘painting’ their upper bodies and wings with reddish mud, which is though to provide camouflage.

20 May 2013
Smilodon: Smilodon, was one of the few sabre-toothed cats that would have encountered humans. Whilst sabre-tooths in Africa and Europe became extinct before our species had evolved, Smilodon survived until the end of the ice age. Three species lived in the Americas over time. The ancestors of the Native Americans might have met two of these, Smilodon fatalis and Smilodon populator. The latter was a heavily built animal, weighing more than a Siberian tiger. Smilodon's ancestor was probably another sabre-tooth species, Megantereon, that lived in Africa, Eurasia and North America.

20 May 2013
Woolly mammoth: A great deal has been found out about woolly mammoths from analysis of carcasses frozen in the Siberian permafrost and from depictions in ancient art. They were built like elephants, but with adaptations to prevent heat loss - tiny ears, short tails and a thick coat of dark brown hair. On the underbelly, the hair grew up to a metre long and was probably shed in the summer. Their trunks ended with two 'fingers' that helped pluck grass. Humps of hair and fat behind the head made the shoulders seem higher than the pelvis. However, the front and back legs were actually about the same length.

16 May 2013
Common bluebell: Common bluebells are anything but ordinary, with a spring carpeted in masses of bluebells a sight to behold. This spectacular botannical display is only found in northern , with Britain containing more than half of the worlds population. Common bluebells are a protected species in the . The main threats to their survival is people picking the flowers and illegally digging up the bulbs. Hybrid bluebell species, because of crossing with the Spanish bluebell, are also a major problem. Britain is home to more than half of the world's population of bluebells.

News

2012 Winners Photo Shoot

Francis and Alex visit West Hatch Wildlife Centre!

More +
YPA13 Launches Next Month!

This year's competition opens on Tuesday 28th May 2013

More +