Are these the pic of the bunch? Remarkable images

• Shot of the snow monkey was taken by award- winning photographer Marsel van Oosten at hot springs in Jigokudani
• The picture of the macaque is one of 50 that have been shortlisted by the Wildlife Photographer of the Year jury
• Members of the public are now being asked to vote for their favourite, with the winner announced in October

Perfectly timed pictures of a startled stargazer fish, a mouse peering cautiously from underneath a sleeping lion's paw, and an orphaned monkey gazing vacantly as he hangs on a washing line have been shortlisted by the Natural History Museum Wildlife Photographer of the Year jury.
They join a shot of a snow monkey playing with an iPhone taken by award- winning photographer Marsel van Oosten at hot springs in Jigokudani. It became the centre of controversy when Ashton Kutcher posted it on his Facebook page without a credit. 
Van Oosten accused the Hollywood star of ‘stealing’ the picture, and it was subsequently removed.

Hanging out: This orphaned Central American spider monkey (Ateles geoffroyi) lives in the workers camp of the El Mirador archaeological site and was snapped as he clung to a washing line with a vacant stare in his eyes

Startled by a stargazer: Photographer Jennifer Jo Stock met this chap on a 'muck dive' in Lembeh, Indonesia. She said: 'Having never seen this species of fish before I was truly shocked when the surrounding black sand was gently blown from it's eyes and teeth, revealing such a scary face'

Sleeping lions: Whilst photographing lions in Kenya's Masai Mara, photographer, Juan Carlos Mimó Perez, noticed a tiny mouse resting calmly under the paw of one of the pride members

Monkeying around: This young Japanese macaque (Macaca fuscata) stole an iPhone off a tourist that wanted to take a closeup shot, but got way too close. The macaque was very pleased with the new toy though, and even managed to switch on the flashlight a few times. Needless to say the iPhone did not survive the underwater sessions

The picture, has now helped Mr van Oosten earn a nomination in the Natural History Museum’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition.
The picture of the macaque is one of 50 that have been shortlisted by the Wildlife Photographer of the Year jury.
Members of the public are now being asked to vote for their favourite, with the voting closing on September 5 and the winner announced in October.

Stretching: With a big stretch, a young lioness gets ready to set off on a hunt with the rest of her pride in Kenya's Masai Mara

One eye on you: After hearing that colleagues had seen elusive short-eared owls in the Al-Jahra Pool Reserve, Mohammed Khorshed spotted this one two days later sitting on a tree, perfectly positioned for a photo. Three hours of shooting resulted in this beautiful shot

The pictures feature a vast range of wildlife from a stretching lioness in Kenya, to a group of king penguins and fur seals huddling together in South Georgia.
Other stunning images include a rescued rhino chewing on a man’s hand in a conservation reserve in Zimbabwe and kangaroos hoping around a waterhole in Sturt National Park in New South Wales, Australia.

Hitching a lift: After successfully hatching, this Great Crested Grebe chick relaxes on the back of the female in Viverone Lake in Italy. The male will provide food for the young, starting with small morsels such as dragonflies and small fish. In this case, the sunfishlet offered is a little on the big side for the chick but he gives it a valiant try

Clinging on: This great peacock moth caterpillar, was captured in the south of France by Leela Channer after her father found it clinging to is flip flop. She said: 'It kept curling up but I finally got one good photo'

The clash of the predators: This 130kg male jaguar fearlessly takes on a 70kg Jacaré Caiman. This exceptionally rare event was captured by photographer Justin Black on the banks of the Rio Três Irmãos in Brazil

On ice: Taken in Svalbard in Norway, photographer Auden Rikardsen caught this charismatic image by slowly swimming in with his camera positioned on a small raft in front of him. He approached the seal relaxing on drifting ice, and with a bit of careful positioning achieved this image

The competition is now in its 50th year and more than 41,000 people from 100 countries entered the competition.
Member of the judging panel, Tom Ang said: ‘In this landmark fiftieth year we’re opening up the judging experience to the many wildlife photography fans that follow the competition so closely.
‘If you’ve ever puzzled over why one image wins out over another, this is your chance to have your say. But with so many outstanding shots and just one vote per person, the pressure is on to cast it wisely.’