#Photography for the Unusual: Biology 10/15

Winner: Fungi and insect – welcome to my humble abode by Duncan McNaught (Galloway, South Scotland). “

Some of the forests in my area are pretty inaccessible due to their wet boggy nature, however its these hidden, sometimes, magical places I find myself more often than not lying flat on the ground photographing mosses, fungi and insects, all waiting to be discovered and mostly unseen by today’s hectic society.”

Photograph: DMCNAUGHTPHOTOGRAPHY/2017 Royal Society of Biology Photographer of the Year

In this world, I am the Emperor.

Winner, Under-18: Small critters moving on a fire urchin – Coleman on Fire by Dheeraj Nanda (Ambon, Maluku, Indonesia). “

The coleman shrimp and fire urchin here share a symbiotic relationship where the shrimp seeks refuge among the spines of the urchin – the female is larger than the male.”

Photograph: 2017 Royal Society of Biology Photographer of the Year

This one almost looks like a painting already and what might that type of artist do with it.

Shortlisted: Out of the darkness by Peter Burkill (Shiretoko Peninsular, Hokkaido, Japan).

The first in a sequence of wild Blakiston’s fish owl ( Bubo blakistoni) – the largest, and one of the rarest, most endangered, living species of owl. In Hokkaido Japan, there are 20 breeding pairs. “I photographed at night in mid-winter. This photo shows the owl plunging into an icy stream, searching for food: small fish corralled in a small pool within the stream.”

Photograph: Peter Burkill/2017 Royal Society of Biology Photographer of the Year

Shortlisted:

Springtail by Marc Brouwer (Genemuiden, the Netherlands). “Only one to two millimetres in size, this springtail was found in a field sitting on grass. Looking for a springtail is like looking for a needle in a haystack. Many people will have never seen a springtail before or even know that they exist.’

Photograph: Marc Brouwer/2017 Royal Society of Biology Photographer of the Year

Shortlisted:

Two big eyes by Miao Yong (Zejiang province, China). Damselflies look over the leaves. “I was photographing insects in a park near my home when suddenly I found two damselflies in the grass. They kept flying and it was very difficult to focus until suddenly they parked behind a leaf.”

Photograph: Miao Yong/2017 Royal Society of Biology Photographer of the Year

I love these fellows since they seem like they have come directly from Mystery Science Theater 3000.