Earlier this month we presented some of the jaw-dropping early entries to the 2018 National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year Contest.

Now we can reveal some of the National Geographic editors’ favourite photos from the Nature category of the competition – and we can guarantee that jaws will plummet once more.

They include amazing animal encounters and breathtaking landscapes.

There’s a heart-melting shot of a mother polar bear swimming along with her two cubs in tow, an incredible snap of a leopard trying to catch a stork and a mesmerising capture of a lizard hiding behind a leaf.

There are three categories in the competition - Nature, People and Cities. One of the category winners will be named the overall grand-prize winner and receive $10,000, have his or her photo posted on the @NatGeoTravel Instagram account and earn the title of National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year. The other two category winners will each be awarded $2,500.

Contestants can visit natgeo.com/travelphotocontest to submit their best photos in any or all of the three categories. Here we present 10 of the most impressive pictures in the Nature category.