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Camera traps are able to capture remarkable images of wildlife in ways film crews and photographers can't.

And to celebrate the rarity and beauty of seeing these animals in their natural habitat, the BBC Wildlife Magazine has rewarded the best shots as part of its annual camera-trap contest.

This year's winner was a rare shot of an Asiatic cheetah, taken by a trap owned by the Iranian Cheetah Society (ICS) in the Naybandan Wildlife Refuge in South Khorasan Province.

This year's winner in the Overall Research category of BBC Wildlife Magazine's Camera-trap Photo of the Year Awards 2014, sponsored by Lowepro was a rare shot of an Asiatic cheetah (pictured). It was taken by a trap owned by the Iranian Cheetah Society (ICS) in the Naybandan Wildlife Refuge in South Khorasan Province. The society was awarded £3,000 ($4,700) prize money

The shot was captured on the 3 May last year, at 9.53 in the morning, and the society was awarded £3,000 ($4,700) prize money from sponsor Lowepro.

According to ICS there are fewer than 70 Asiatic cheetahs left in Iran, due to habitat loss, poaching and severe drought – making the shot even more valuable.

The BBC Wildlife Magazine's Camera-trap Photo of the Year Awards competition has been running for five years and was set up to recognise 'the role that new technology plays in the understanding of the natural world'.

More than 877 images made the final cut this year, which were then judged by a panel of wildlife and photography experts.

Other winning entries included a black rhino snapped captured by a trap placed in Zambia by Will Burrard-Lucas, which took the prize in the Animal Portraits category.

Jamie Hall used a camera trap to photograph a red fox in London, giving him the British wildlife prize.

In the Jura Mountains, Switzerland, a trap owned by Laurent Geslin captured the moment a European lynx catches and drags a roe deer into the forest.

It won first prize in the Animal Behaviour award.

'After talking to researchers and photographers, we decided to overhaul the competition,' said BBC Wildlife editor Matt Swaine. 

The competition has been running for five years and was set up to recognise 'the role that new technology plays in the understanding of the natural world'. Other winning entries included a black rhino snapped captured by a trap placed in Zambia by Will Burrard-Lucas, which took the prize in the Animal Portraits category (pictured)

In the Jura Mountains, Switzerland, a trap owned by Laurent Geslin captured the moment a European lynx catches and drags a roe deer into the forest. It won first prize in the Animal Behaviour award (pictured)

The New Behaviour category winner shows white-lipped peccaries huddling together at the Manu Learning Centre, Peru. It was captured by Andrew Whitworth and The Crees Foundation (pictured)

The full selection of winning images are published in the December issue of BBC Wildlife Magazine, on sale now (pictured)

'We wanted to offer two separate awards: one for the most striking photograph, and another for the image that had done the most to advance our understanding of a species.

The entries surpassed expectation.' 

The New Behaviour category winner shows white-lipped peccaries huddling together at the Manu Learning Centre, Peru.

It was captured by Andrew Whitworth and The Crees Foundation.

Elsewhere, the runner-up in the Animal Portraits category was awarded to Jonny Armstrong for his shot of a mule deer on the Snowy Range Scenic Byway in Wyoming, US.

In addition to taking the overall prize, the ICS also received a runner-up award in the Animal Behaviour category for its shot of goitered gazelles. 

The image, which shows one gazelle ramming another so they appear vertical, was captured in August 2012 in the Miandasht Wildlife Refuge, Iran. 

Beth Ruggiero-York was commended for her shot of a Pallid bat in Arizona in the same category. 

Another shot shows a baby giant armadillo playing in the Brazilian Pantanal.

It was captured by Arnaud Desbiez and the Pantanal Giant Armadillo Project and this image was the runner-up in the New Behaviour category. 

'The judging process was tough, but we had an exceptional panel of judges,' added Mr Swaine.

This panel included photographers Mark Carwardine and Elliott Neep, and scientist and mammal expert Steve Harris. 

The magazine's picture editor Wanda Sowry and wildlife editor Rosamund Kidman Cox also took part. 

'After much deliberation, the judges reached a unanimous decision in awarding the Overall Research Winner to the image of an Iranian cheetah.

'And though competition was fierce, the striking image of a black rhino in Zambia was finally named our Overall Photography Winner.

ICS said it will use the prize money to fund more research in the region.

The full selection of winning images are published in the December issue of BBC Wildlife Magazine, on sale now.  

More than 877 images made the final cut, which were then judged by a panel of wildlife and photography experts. Jamie Hall used a camera trap to photograph a red fox in London, giving him the British Wildlife prize (pictured)

Elsewhere, the runner-up in the Animal Portraits category was awarded to Jonny Armstrong for his shot of a mule deer on the Snowy Range Scenic Byway in Wyoming, US (pictured)

This shot shows a baby giant armadillo playing in the Brazilian Pantanal. It was captured by Arnaud Desbiez and the Pantanal Giant Armadillo Project. This image was the runner-up in the New Behaviour category

They can also be viewed at the BBC Wildlife website.

A camera trap is a remotely activated camera fitted with motion sensors, or an infrared sensor that uses a beam of light as a trigger.  

They are being placed in remote regions, national parks and in woods and forests to capture animals in their natural environment. 

Typically, film crews would have to sit for hours to capture such images, and this potentially adds stress to the animals.

The traps are sometimes known as camera trails and although they are predominantly used by researchers to track animals, hunters also use them to look for places to hunt. 

The ICS also received a runner-up award in the Animal Behaviour category for its shot of goitered gazelles (pictured). The image, which shows one gazelle ramming another so they appear vertical, was captured in August 2012 in the Miandasht Wildlife Refuge, Iran

Beth Ruggiero-York was commended for her shot of a Pallid bat in Arizona in the Animal Behaviour category. A camera trap is a remotely activated camera fitted with motion sensors, or an infrared sensor that uses a beam of light as a trigger. They are being placed in remote regions, national parks and in woods and forests to capture animals in their natural environment