Spectacular images of nature’s wonders revealed in photo competition

(CNN) — Two long-horned bees balancing on a flower, a fossilized dinosaur bone viewed through a microscope and a scientist giving a bird drops of medicine were all captured in stunning photographs that formed part of the 2024 BMC Ecology and Evolution and BMC Zoology Image Competition.

The overall winner, however, was a photograph of a feeding frenzy, in which a whale shark feasts on a bait ball of snipefish that have been herded into tight groups by tuna.

The winning image was captured off Portugal’s Azores islands by marine biologist Jorge Fontes, who works at Okeanos-UAc, Institute of Marine Sciences, where he is studying the impact of fishing on the ocean’s largest animals, according to a BMC press release Friday.

“With the baitfish gathered together, the whale sharks use powerful suction to fill their huge mouths with food. This feeding partnership between sharks and tunas is rare elsewhere but common in these islands when both are present,” Fontes said in the release.

“You can almost hear the chaos of this scene, juxtaposed with the slow glide of the whale shark,” said BMC Ecology and Evolution senior editorial board member Christy Hipsley. “Swirls of fish navigate to avoid each others’ mouths, dangerously distracting them from the largest one of all.”

“It tells a fascinating story and highlights the need for further research to understand the impact of human activities, such as the tuna industry, on whale sharks,” said Jennifer Harman, editor of BMC Ecology and Evolution.

Winners and runner-ups from across the globe were also selected in four categories: Research in action; relationships in nature; protecting our planet and life close-up.

Click through the gallery at the top of the page to view the images.

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