What the fox!

A photo capturing the instant an unsuspecting marmot is startled by a hungry fox just inches away has won a top prize.

For its Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition, London’s Natural History Museum sifted through more than 48,000 entries from 100 countries to find the winner.

The prized image shows a female Tibetan fox, who was hunting for her three cubs, provoking a Himalayan marmot, according to the museum website. It was snapped by photographer Yongqing Bao in the Nan Shan mountains between the Qinghai and Gansu provinces of northern China.

“This compelling picture captures nature’s ultimate challenge: It’s a battle for survival,” added Sir Michael Dixon, the museum’s director, in a statement.

He added that the area is often called the Third Pole because of its vast ice fields, which he said is “under threat from dramatic temperature rises like those seen in the Arctic.”

“At a time when precious habitats are facing increasing climate pressures, seeing these fleeting yet fascinating moments reminds us of what we need to protect,” said Dixon.

Yongqing, who is the director and chief ecological photographer of the Qilian Mountain Nature Conservation Association, hopes his work will promote positive relationships between the human and animal kingdoms.

Other competition highlights include pictures of a golden-eagle’s-eye view as it lands on a branch in Norway, a majestic buffalo covered in snow at Yellowstone National Park and a glowing, iridescent squid from the Lembeh Strait in Indonesia, taken by a 14-year-old contestant from the Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition, Cruz Erdmann from New Zealand.