Invertebrates Winner: The big buzz. South Texas, USA. The world's bees are under threat from habitat loss, pesticides and climate change. With 70% of bee species nesting underground, it is increasingly important that areas of natural soil are left undisturbed.
Karine Aigner/Wildlife Photographer of the Year
American photographer Karine Aigner has won the Grand Title in this year’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition with a stunning image of a ball of cactus bees vying for a mate.
Global (14 October 2022) – London’s Natural History Museum, which runs the “Best Wildlife Photos” competition every year, announced the winning images this week.
The winning images were selected from 19 category winners, which won out against some 38,575 entries from 93 countries in the 58th Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition!
“From the rainforests of Central Africa to the oceans off the coast of New Zealand, the exhibition showcases the best in nature photography, capturing rarely-seen animals, incredible behaviours and striking landscapes.”
All winning and runners-up images will be on display in a freshly redesigned exhibition at the Museum from Friday 14 October.
Check out the photos below:
Urban Wildlife Winner: House of bears. Kolyuchin Island, Chukotka, Russia. In the Chukchi Sea region, the normally solitary bears usually migrate further north in the summer, following the retreating sea ice they depend on for hunting seals, their main food. Dmitry Kokh/Wildlife Photographer of the YearBear bonanza. Katmai National Park and Preserve, Alaska. When the salmon arrive in summer, so do the bears. Though they are usually solitary, they congregate in large numbers to fish. Adam Rice/Wildlife Photographer of the YearNatural Artistry Winner: Heavenly flamingos. Salar de Uyuni, Daniel Campos Province, Bolivia. High in the Andes, Salar de Uyuni is the world’s largest salt pan. It is also one of Bolivia’s largest lithium mines, which threatens the future of these flamingos. Junji Takasago/Wildlife Photographer of the YearUnderwater Winner: Shooting star. Kinko Bay, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. This is a male Leiaster leachi sea star broadcasting sperm into murky water in a shallow bay. Other nearby sea stars were broadcasting sperm and eggs into the water in synchrony. Tony Wu/Wildlife Photographer of the YearPhotojournalism winner: Ndakasi’s passing. Senkwekwe Center, Virunga National Park, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Stirton photographed Ndakasi’s rescue as a 2-month-old after her troop was brutally killed by a charcoal mafia as a threat to park rangers. Ndakasi laid in the arms of her rescuer and caregiver of 13 years, ranger Andre Bauma. Brent Stirton/Wildlife Photographer of the YearWetlands Winner: The dying lake. Lake Amatitlán, Villa Canales, Guatemala. Cyanobacteria flourishes in the presence of pollutants, such as sewage and agricultural fertilizers, forming algal blooms. Efforts to restore the Amatitlán wetland are underway but have been hampered by a lack of funding and allegations of political corruption. Daniel Núñez/Wildlife Photographer of the Year15-17 Years Winner: The beauty of baleen. Upper Gulf of Thailand. Bryde’s whales have up to 370 pairs of gray-colored plates of baleen growing inside their upper jaws. The plates are made of keratin, a protein that also forms human hair and nails, and are used to filter small prey from the ocean. Katanyou Wuttichaitanakorn/Wildlife Photographer of the YearAmphibians and Reptiles Winner: The bat-snatcher. Kantemo, Quintana Roo, Mexico. Every evening at sundown in the Cave of the Hanging Snakes, thousands of bats leave for the night’s feeding. It is also when hungry rat snakes emerge, dangling from the roof to snatch their prey in midair. Fernando Constantino Martínez Belmar/Wildlife Photographer of the YearPlants and Fungi Winner: The magical morels. Mount Olympus, Pieria, Greece. Morels are regarded as gastronomic treasures in many parts of the world because they are difficult to cultivate, yet in some forests they flourish naturally. Agorastos Papatsanis/Wildlife Photographer of the YearAnimal Portrait Winner: Puff Perfect. La Oliva, Fuerteventura, Spain. A Canary Islands houbara male returns annually to its courtship site to perform impressive displays. José Juan Hernández Martinez/Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Sources: London’s Natural History Museum
Don’t ever miss the Good Things. Download the Good Things Guy App now on Apple or Google.
Have something to add to this story? Please share it in the comments or follow GoodThingsGuy on Facebook & Twitter to keep up to date with good news as it happens, or share your good news with us by clicking here or click the link below to listen to the Good Things Guy Podcast with Brent Lindeque – South Africa’s very own Good Things Guy. He’s on a mission to change what the world pays attention to, and he truly believes there’s good news around us. In the Good Things Guy podcast, you’ll meet these everyday heroes & hear their incredible stories:
Or watch an episode of Good Things TV below, a show created to offer South Africans balance in a world with what feels like constant bad news. We’re here to remind you that there are still so many good things happening in South Africa & we’ll leave you feeling a little more proudly South African.
Brent Lindeque is the founder and editor in charge at Good Things Guy.
Recognised as one of the Mail and Guardian’s Top 200 Young South African’s as well as a Primedia LeadSA Hero, Brent is a change maker, thought leader, radio host, foodie, vlogger, writer and all round good guy.
by 