NatGeo announces best underwater photos of 2016 good ، NatGeo announces best underwater photos of 2024 good
Quote:
The competition awarded U.S. $35,000 in seven categories for the most "stunning" underwater photos taken around the world in 2024, according to a press statement. Judges included professional underwater photographers and magazine editors.
1 – Deep Dive – A diver explores a continental trench in Silfra, Iceland, in 2024. The picture won top honors in the "Divers" category of the fourth annual Deep Indonesia International Underwater Photo Competition, whose winning photos were released to the press earlier this month.
2 – Egg Protector – A picture of a mantis shrimp guarding its eggs in Anilao, Philippines, took home top honors in the "Compact Cameras" category. The species is known to see colors invisible to humans and other animals, viewing the world in 11 or 12 primary colors, as opposed to our humble 3.
3 – Lone Lionfish – A lionfish swims among a school of glassfish in Egypt’s Red Sea. The picture won third place in the "Reefscapes" category. Recently in the U.S., lionfish have begun expanding their range up the East Coast. The fast-multiplying invasive species is venomous and voracious, sparking a federal "Eat Lionfish" campaign and environmentalist-sponsored lionfish-hunting contests, according to the Wall Street Journal.
4 – Firstborn Seahorse – A firstborn seahorse pops out of its father off Singer Island, Florida, in the third place picture in the "Animal Behavior" category. The male seahorse has a pouch on its stomach in which to carry babies—as many as 2,000 at a time. A pregnancy lasts from 10 to 25 days, depending on the species.
5 – Sand Trap – Titled "Underwater Sadness," a photograph of a sea turtle caught in a net in the Sea of Cortez won third place in the "Environment and Conservation" category. Six of the seven known sea turtle species are listed as vulnerable, endangered, or critically endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species.
6 – Blue-Eyed Eel – A close-up of a blue-eyed moray eel in Indonesia captured an honorable mention in the "Indonesia Residents" category. Known to grow as long as about 5 feet, moray species generally lack pectoral fins, unlike most other eel species.
Thank you
