Current:Home > Contact-us"Luminescent" photo of horseshoe crab wins Wildlife Photographer of the Year prize-Angel Dreamer Wealth Society D1 Reviews & Insights
"Luminescent" photo of horseshoe crab wins Wildlife Photographer of the Year prize
View Date:2024-12-24 11:11:33
A photo of a golden horseshoe crab —one of the world's most ancient and highly endangered animals— earned a marine photographer the grand title in the prestigious Wildlife Photographer of the Year contest. The Natural History Museum in London, which runs the competition, made the announcement Tuesday.
The picture, taken by Laurent Ballesta, shows a tri-spine horseshoe crab on a seabed near Pangatalan Island in the Philippines, as it is followed by three golden trevallies. Ballesta documented the horseshoe crabs as they moved through water, fed, mated and provided a home to other animals, according to the museum.
The Wildlife Photographer of the Year contest is produced by the Natural History Museum. Ballesta's photo was chosen from nearly 50,000 entires across 95 countries. Kathy Moran, who was the chair of the jury, called the image "luminescent."
"To see a horseshoe crab so vibrantly alive in its natural habitat, in such a hauntingly beautiful way, was astonishing," Moran said.
"We are looking at an ancient species, highly endangered, and also critical to human health," Moran added. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has listed the tri-spine horseshoe crab as "endangered."
It's the second time Ballesta has won the grand prize, after he earned it in 2021.
Horseshoe crabs are typically found in waters off southeast Asia and despite their name, they're more closely related to spiders and scorpions than crabs. According to the Natural History Museum, the horseshoe crab has survived relatively unchanged for around 100 million years —meaning they were around when dinosaurs such as Tyrannosaurus rex were roaming the planet.
However, their existence is under threat. Its blue blood is critical for the development of vaccines, and it's used to test for potentially dangerous bacterial contamination. In addition, the arthropods are used as bait to catch other species. Overhfishing, paired with habitat destruction and ocean pollution, has led to all living species of horseshoe crabs being at risk.
The young Wildlife Photographer of the Year title went to 17-year-old Carmel Bechler, who took a long-exposure image of two barn owls in an abandoned roadside building. The teen from Israel said he hopes to share in his photography that "the beauty of the natural world is all around us, even in places where we least expect it to be."
Moran said Bechler's photo "has so many layers in terms of content and composition."
"It simultaneously screams 'habitat destruction' and 'adaptation,' begging the question: If wildlife can adapt to our environment, why can't we respect theirs?" Moran said.
Ballesta and Bechler's photos were chosen from 19 other category winners. All of the images will be on exhibition at the Natural History Museum beginning Friday.
Christopher BritoChristopher Brito is a social media manager and trending content writer for CBS News.
veryGood! (9)
Related
- Women’s baseball players could soon have a league of their own again
- 2024 relief pitcher rankings: Stable closers are back in vogue
- Jimmy Kimmel talks about that Trump dig at star-studded after party; Billie Eilish rocks socks
- NFL draft order 2024: Where every team will make picks over seven rounds, 257 picks
- Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan says next year will be his last in office; mum on his plans afterward
- NFC team needs: From the Cowboys to the 49ers, the biggest team needs in NFL free agency
- 50-foot sperm whale beached on sandbar off coast of Venice, Florida
- Liza Koshy plays off her Oscars red carpet fall like a champ: 'I've got my ankles insured'
- NFL MVP rankings: Does Steelers QB Russell Wilson deserve any consideration?
- Demi Moore and Her Daughters Could Be Quadruplets at 2024 Oscars After-Party
Ranking
- US wholesale inflation picks up slightly in sign that some price pressures remain elevated
- Mountain lions lurking: 1 killed by car in Oceanside, California, as sightings reported
- RHOC's Alexis Bellino and John Janssen Make First Red Carpet Appearance as a Couple
- Report: Workers are living further from employer, more are living 50 miles from the office
- 13 Skincare Gifts Under $50 That Are Actually Worth It
- Oppenheimer Wins Best Picture at Oscars 2024
- Brother of LSU guard Flau’jae Johnson arrested after SEC Tournament championship fight
- George Soros’ Open Society Foundations name new president after years of layoffs and transition
Recommendation
-
Jake Paul's only loss led him to retool the team preparing him to face Mike Tyson
-
Monica Sementilli says she did not help plan the murder of her L.A. beauty exec husband. Will a jury believe her?
-
Driver pleads guilty to reduced charge in crash that killed actor Treat Williams
-
Luke Burbank on taking spring ahead to the next level
-
Man is 'not dead anymore' after long battle with IRS, which mistakenly labeled him deceased
-
In New York City, heat pumps that fit in apartment windows promise big emissions cuts
-
Jimmy Kimmel calls out Greta Gerwig's Oscars snub, skewers 'Madame Web' in opening monologue
-
Inside a U.S. airdrop mission to rush food into Gaza