A marine photographer clinched the prestigious title in the renowned Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition with a captivating image of a rare golden horseshoe crab—one of the planet’s most ancient and critically endangered creatures. The announcement was made by the Natural History Museum in London on Tuesday.
Laurent Ballesta, the talented photographer behind this remarkable shot. Also captured a scene of a tri-spine horseshoe crab on the seabed near Pangatalan Island in the Philippines. Accompanied by three golden trevallies. Ballesta’s lens skillfully documented the horseshoe crabs as they navigated through the water, engaged in feeding, mating. And serving as a habitat for various other marine species, as reported by the museum.
The Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition is an initiative of the Natural History Museum. And Ballesta’s photograph emerged as the winner from a pool of nearly 50,000 entries originating from 95 different countries. Kathy Moran, who chaired the competition’s jury, aptly described the image as “luminescent.”
“Seeing a horseshoe crab so vividly thriving in its natural environment, presented in such hauntingly beautiful fashion, left us all in awe,” Moran remarked.
She went on to emphasize the importance of this ancient and endangered species. In which also plays a critical role in human health. The tri-spine horseshoe crab has been classified as “endangered” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Nonetheless, the existence of horseshoe crabs is facing significant threats. These creatures are of paramount importance due to their blue blood, which is instrumental in vaccine development and the testing of potentially hazardous bacterial contamination. Furthermore, these arthropods often used as bait to catch other species, which, when coupled with overfishing, habitat destruction. And ocean pollution, places all living species of horseshoe crabs in a precarious position.
In a noteworthy accolade, the title of Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year was awarded to 17-year-old Carmel Bechler. His winning photograph captured two barn owls in an abandoned roadside building using a long-exposure technique. Hailing from Israel, young photographer expressed his desire to convey through his work that “the beauty of the natural world is all around us. Therefore the places where we least expect it.”
Kathy Moran, the competition’s jury chair, commended Bechler’s image for its multifaceted narrative in terms of content and composition. As well as she noted that it conveys the dual message of “habitat destruction” and “adaptation,” raising the thought-provoking question of whether we, as humans, can show greater respect for the habitats of wildlife. marine photographer clinched
Ballesta’s and Bechler’s photographs emerged victorious from a pool of 19 other category winners. “Beginning this Friday, the Natural History Museum will host an exhibition featuring all these captivating images.”