French photographer and marine biologist Laurent Ballesta's Golden Horseshoe has been awarded the 2023 Wildlife Photographer of the Year Award.
A stunning image of a golden horseshoe crab moving across the seabed with three striped fish overhead has won this year's Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition.
Laurent Ballesta, a French underwater photographer and marine biologist, captured this amazing scene in the protected waters of Pangatalan Island in the Philippines, home to the endangered three-spined horseshoe crab (Tachypleus tridentatus).
The creatures have been on the planet for more than 100 million years, according to a statement shared with Live Science, but they currently face problems with habitat destruction and diminishing food sources due to overfishing. They are also harvested by humans for their unique blue blood, which is used to create vaccines.
“Seeing the horseshoe crab so vibrantly alive in its natural habitat and in such a mesmerizing form was astounding,” said Katie Moran, chair of the competition’s judges, in a statement. “We’re looking at an ancient, endangered species that also plays a critical role in human health. This photograph radiates light.”
As noted in the statement, the three young golden trevally (Gnathanodon speciosus) that were circling the horseshoe crab were likely there to pick up any edible treats that the crab was slowly leaving behind.
The jury selected Ballesta's photograph, titled “Golden Horseshoe,” from nearly 50,000 entries from 95 countries. An additional 18 winners received awards for showcasing the planet's rich diversity of life.
“Both awe-inspiring and astonishing, this year's winning photographs provide compelling evidence of our impact on nature – both positive and negative,” said Doug Gurr, director of the Natural History Museum, where the competition is being held, in a statement.
The winning entries will be on display in the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition at the Natural History Museum, London from Friday 13 October to 30 June 2024.
This is not the first time Ballesta has won the Wildlife Photographer of the Year award. In 2021, he won the top prize for his photograph of camouflaged groupers (Epinephelus polyphekadion) swimming in a milky cloud of eggs and sperm in Fakarava, French Polynesia, in the South Pacific.
If you're interested in trying your hand at capturing nature's wonders, check out our beginner's guide to wildlife photography and our picks for the best cameras for capturing wildlife.
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Sasha is a staff writer for Live Science in the UK. She holds a BA in biology from the University of Southampton in England and an MA in science communication from Imperial College London. Her work has appeared in The Guardian and on health site Zoe. In her spare time, she enjoys tennis, baking bread, and hunting for hidden treasures in thrift stores.
Sourse: www.livescience.com
