Daniel Sly/ OPYThis dedicated father is “mouth brooding” his young (Credit: Daniel Sly/ OPY)Gobbleguts
This male eastern gobbleguts is “mouth brooding”. After the female releases a mass of eggs, the male fertilises them and then appears to gobble them up. In reality, he collects the fertilised eggs into his mouth for incubation, a behaviour known as paternal mouth brooding. This dedicated father was photographed by Daniel Sly during a night dive beneath a busy fishing and ferry wharf in Sydney Harbour, Australia. The image was named a finalist of the 2025 Oceanographic Photographer of the Year competition.
Georgina SteytlerThe “mad hatterpillar” shows off its strange headgear (Credit: Georgina Steytler)Mad Hatterpillar
Georgina Steytler captured the unusual headgear of a gum-leaf skeletoniser caterpillar, which she dubbed the “mad hatterpillar”. The translucent tower is made up of old head capsules, which the caterpillar keeps every time it sheds its skin. It is thought to help deflect attacks from predators. The photo was one of the winners at this year’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year awards.
Simone BaumeisterAn orb weaver spider captured in an orb of light (Credit: Simone Baumeister)Spider lights
Simone Baumeister captured this surreal image of an orb weaver spider on a pedestrian bridge, in the middle of the town of Ibbenbüren, Germany. The spider is sitting on its web, silhouetted by lights from the cars below. Species of orb weaver spiders can be found all over the world and create the iconic webs which spiral out from a central point. Using its legs as measuring sticks, an orb weaver spider first builds a non-sticky frame then layers a sticky “capture thread” over the top. Now, the spider can stand on its architectural masterpiece and wait for prey to fly into its trap. The photo was named a winner in the Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition 2025.
Chien LeeA pitcher plant fluoresces in shades of purple and pink (Credit: Chien Lee)Glowing pitcher
Chien Lee’s image of a fluorescing pitcher plant won the Plants and Fungi category at the Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2025 competition. While most plants absorb the nutrients they need from the soil, pitcher plants like these are carnivorous. They trap prey unlucky enough to land on their sticky rim, tipping them down into a pool of digestive juices below where they are slowly dissolved. Lee used a UV torch to illuminate the pitcher plant in an eerie purple glow just after sunset.
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