“Fighting Blue Throat Pike Blennys” by Mark Green, Honorable Mention Marine Life Behavior
As they care for their unhatched babies, female octopuses refuse to eat, causing them to die of starvation before their young emerge from their eggs. Kat Zhou documented one of these marine mothers as she was in the process of such a fatal sacrifice, and the photo won the Ocean Art 2022, the 11th annual contest hosted by Underwater Photography Guide.
Zhou’s image was chosen from thousands of entries submitted from 96 countries, and the intimate photo joins a collection that encompasses a vast array of aquatic life and antics. Two aggressive pike blennies go head to head, a frog flashes a peace sign, and a menacing parasite hunts for its next victim. Find some of our favorite images below, and see all of the winning photos on the contest’s site.
“Octopus Mother,” by Kat Zhou, Best of Show, Macro
“Peace” by Enrico Somogyi, 1st Compact Wide Angle
“Zeepaddestoel” by Luc Rooman, Honorable Mention Marine Life Behavior
“Parasite waiting for the next victim” by Lorenzo Terraneo, Honorable Mention Portrait
“Coral Spawning” by Tom Shlesinger, 3rd Marine Life Behavior
“Rose Among the Thorns” by Ipah Uid Lynn, 4th Compact Macro
“The Climb” by Veronika Nagy, 2nd Nudibranchs
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Source: thisiscolossal.com