I took this photograph in Tadoba, Maharashtra, earlier this year. Two sub-adult tiger siblings explode into action: one leaps into the air, all four paws off the ground, facing the camera, while the other rises on its hind legs, back turned, forepaws reaching up to meet the challenge. We had been watching them with their mother, Choti Tara, near a kill she’d made during the night. Nearing two years old, their playful sparring is shifting into tests of strength and emerging dominance as they prepare to claim territory and independence in the wild. Nikon Z9 with 400mm F2.8 lens at f5, 1/1250 s