Bence Máté (Hungary) Black grouse dawn show
'I was in Finland and for three hours, along with a handful of nonchalant female grouse, watched four males strut, march, fluff, flutter, flounce, shimmy, sashay, “roo-roo-roo”, leap and fight to be judged as the fittest, most promising, most mateable male. The females weren't so impressed: none of them mated.' In the spring dawn, male black grouse all over Europe put on a fabulous courtship display. They strut around, leaping and fighting while singing a distinctive courting song. But despite their best attempts, black grouse are on the decline in western Europe to the point of being extinct in many parts of England. Conservation groups are trying to save and re-introduce the species.
Nikon D200 + Sigma 300-800mm f5.6 lens; 1/640 sec at f7.1; ISO 400; beanbag.
成人奖-动物行为(哺乳动物) 参赛作品必须能引起人们思考，具有美学价值，还必须具有我们熟悉的和不常见的动物行为。
Animal Behaviour: MammalsThese photographs are selected for both their interest value and their aesthetic appeal, showing familiar as well as seldom-seen behaviour.
Cyril Ruoso (France) Frodo's prize
'There had clearly been a frenzied tug-of-war in Tanzania's Gombe National Park, because the bushpig's body was ripped in two. And that was all the sharing Frodo was prepared to do. Ignoring the begging of the other chimpanzees, he tucked into the rare (in both senses of the word) feast.' Chimpanzees eat fruit, but will also hunt monkeys and, if they are skilful enough, bushpig. Males fight over carcasses, and higher ranking males will steal from lower ones. But they also beg and share. Chimpanzees are themselves hunted by people for meat, which along with the destruction of their habitat in western and central Africa makes them an endangered species.
Canon EOS-1D Mark III + Canon EF400mm f2.8 IS USM lens; 1/320 sec at f2.8; ISO 250. With logistical support from the Jane Goodall Institute.
Steve Winter (United States of America) Mark of the snow leopard
'I found a Himalayan trail used by a snow leopard, then set up my remote-controlled camera knowing it used the rock in this shot for leaving scent marks at night. After a month or so I finally got the image of the cat marking its territory - complete with a sprinkling of snow.' Snow leopards mark their territory and advertise their breeding status with faeces, scent sprays and urine. They leave these messages for others because they spend most of their time alone. In relatively prey-rich Nepal, their territory is 40 square kilometres - almost twice the size of Central London. But in Mongolia, where there is less food, their territory is up to 1,000 square kilometres.
Canon EOS Rebel XT + Canon EF-S 10-22mm f3.5-4.5 USM lens at 14mm; 1/200 sec at f16; ISO 100; waterproof camera box + Plexiglass tubes for flashes; Trailmaster 1550-PS remote trigger.
Patrick Centurioni (Austria) Mouse pounce
'Normally, the vixen would come at dawn and then again at dusk to the fields near my home on the outskirts of Vienna. One day, I saw two small cubs trotting by its side. They'd come for a hunting lesson. They watched the vixen quietly from the side of the field, then rushed out to see what had been caught.' Apart from humans, foxes are the most widely distributed and adaptable of all carnivores, living everywhere except Antarctica. It helps that they aren't picky eaters - they grab and eat what they can find. Foxes eat small mammals, such as mice and voles, worms, insects, birds, fish and fruit. To catch mice they spring up and dive on the prey to catch them.
Canon EOS 400D + 300mm f4 lens with 1.4 converter; 1/400 sec at f5.6; ISO 200. This photograph is available to buy as a print.
成人奖-动物行为(其他所有动物) 这一奖项是为了众多有趣的，不同于哺乳动物和鸟类的照片而设立的，包含地球上多数动物而且是极少能看到的精彩行为瞬间。
Animal Behaviour: All Other AnimalsThis category offers plenty of scope for interesting pictures, given that species other than mammals and birds comprise the majority of animals on Earth and have behaviour that is often little known.
冠军：僵持
能如此清晰的拍摄到这样一场蛇蛙生死之战确实不易，故事的结局谁都不清楚，因为摄影师David Maitland已经坚持不住了，他从午夜开始一直爬了几个小时才拍到上面的一幕，相信这比拍烧烤猴子头要难多了。一只稀有的银瞬红眼蛙顽强的维护着自己的生命，而一条小小的猫眼蛇又怎会放弃自己的宵夜？这样一张静态的图片表现了生死之间的张力，获得Animal Behavior: All Other Animals组别冠军就不足为奇了。 David Maitland (United Kingdom) Deadlock
'A cat-eyed tree-snake was locked in an embrace with a Morelet's treefrog. The kicking frog showed no sign of weakening. And the stubborn snake wouldn't budge. It was a complete stalemate. Three hours later, I realised the first one to give in would, in fact, be me - and I went to bed.' When the rains come to the forests of Belize, the treefrogs descend after dark from the canopy, gathering around the puddles and ponds. Male frogs serenade females and fight off rivals in the race to mate. Found only in a few areas of northern Central America and Mexico, the Morelet's treefrog is a critically endangered species due to habitat destruction and disease.
Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II + 100mm macro lens; 1/500 sec at f10; ISO 50; twin flashes.
Amos Nachoum (United States of America) Sailfish strike
'More than 50 sailfish were herding the sardines around the island of Isla Mujeres, Mexico, in what appeared to be co-operative hunting. Each took it in turn to rush towards the sardines, raising its impressive sail as it got close to the ball and shaking its bill to knock out sardines.' The huge fin of a sailfish helps it herd prey, like shoals of sardines, into baitballs. They then slash at their prey with the spear to stun it. Extremely fast swimmers, sailfish have been known to crash into boats and drive their spear through wooden hulls.
Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III + Canon 16-35mm lens; 1/200 sec at f4; ISO 320; Seacam housing.
Adrian Hepworth (United Kingdom) Petal procession
'I discovered this scattering of tonka-bean-tree petals on the forest floor in Costa Rica and, sure enough, there was a column of industrious worker ants, busily transporting the petals away. I chose a slow shutter to create the pink blur and a flash at the end of the two seconds so the ants would stand out.' Leafcutter ants don't eat leaves or petals. They take them back to their nest and mash them up with their mandibles. They use the pulp to grow a fungus in special fungus gardens deep within their nests. The ants then eat the swollen tips of the fungus. A mature ant colony contains millions of ants, where some care for the fungus, some defend the nest and the rest go out to forage.
Canon EOS 5D + Canon 20mm f2.8 lens; 2 secs at f22; ISO 200; second curtain flash; tripod.
成人奖-海底世界 这些照片可以展示海洋或淡水动物或植物。最重要的标准是美观，但评委们还将寻找独特的、令人难忘的照片。
The Underwater WorldThese photographs can show marine or freshwater animals or plants. The most important criteria are aesthetics, but judges will also be looking for unique and memorable imagery. Supported by Project AWARE Foundation (International)
冠军：鲸鱼和人
在大自然面前人类是渺小的，在鲸鱼面前也是。摄影师Brian Skerry为国家地理杂志拍摄的南脊美鲸（southern right whales）获得了水下世界组别的冠军。这些生活在新西兰奥克兰群岛附近鲸鱼相当友善，对人类十分好奇。不知道当它们见过人类的捕鲸行为之后，是否还能和摄影师的助手Mauricio Handler像照片中这样友好嬉戏了。 Brian Skerry (United States of America) First encounter
'Swimming with a 14-metre-long, 70-tonne whale, off the Auckland Islands, New Zealand, was the single most incredible animal encounter I have ever had. It was probably memorable for the southern right whale, too, which became fascinated by my dive buddy. Almost certainly the whale had never encountered humans under water, and was as curious about us as we were about it.' Southern right whales live in the Southern Ocean. They are called right whales because according to hunters they are the right ones to hunt. This is because when they die their bodies float, making them easy to drag back to whaling stations. The most common cause of death for right whales these days is being hit by a ship or entangled in fishing nets. Enough have died this way to make them endangered.
Nikon D2x + 10.5mm f2.8 lens; 1/80 sec at f6.3; Subal housing.
Jordi Chias (Spain) Daddy long legs
'I came across this strange arrangement of spikes and spines while diving near Puerto de Mogán off the southern coast of Grand Canary in the Canary Islands. I thought the spikes and tangle of long legs made a wonderfully graphic image, and the cobalt blue background with a school of small silver fish flitting past was like a sky of stars.' Arrow crab males have bigger claws than females, and it's the females that look after the eggs. They attach the bright orange mass to appendages known as pleopods, which they move constantly to make sure the eggs get enough oxygen.
Canon EOS 5D + 17-40mm f4 lens at 40mm; 1/40 sec at f11; ISO 100; Sea & Sea housing; two Sea & Sea YS110 strobes. This photograph is available to buy as a print.
Brian Skerry (United States of America) Underworld
'A blue cod was taking a stroll on its fins through an otherworldly garden of vibrantly coloured sea pens and starfish. Through careful use of flash, I brought them to light. Fragile marine areas such as this one still exist in New Zealand waters thanks to federal protection.' Sea pens are usually found in deep water, at depths between 10 and 2,000 metres. But in the shallow waters of Long Sound Marine Reserve in New Zealand, tannin-stained surface water blocks out sunlight, tricking sea pens into settling at shallower depths. Sea pen colonies orientate themselves in the path of the currents, to ensure a steady flow of food particles.
Nikon D2x + 16mm lens; 1/30 sec at f9; ISO 200; Subal housing; two Hartenberger strobes on 1/4 power, additional strobe used to light more distant subjects.
Brian Skerry (United States of America) Sea of life
'The wrasse moved through a school of blue maomao in a swirl of energy and colour. This is how I imagine the oceans may have looked hundreds of years ago - before overfishing depleted stocks. I wanted specifically to take a picture that celebrated the abundance of healthy marine ecosystems.' The ocean around the Poor Knights Islands in New Zealand became a fully protected marine reserve in 1998. A monitoring programme has shown that full protection has led to a huge increase in the number of fish in the area. The rapid increase in fish populations is a comforting sign that sometimes the ocean's wildlife can recover quickly just by being left alone.
Nikon D2x + 16mm lens; 1/8 sec at f13; ISO 200; Subal housing; two Hartenberger strobes on 1/4 power.
Thomas P. Peschak (South Africa) Sardine snappers
'To take this picture, I had to melt into the baitball. I found myself surrounded by sardines desperate to hide from their attackers. The dolphins were catching fish just centimetres from my mask and camera, yet they never once bumped into me.' Each June and July, long-beaked common dolphins move into a tongue of cold water that licks South Africa's east coast, lured by the migrating sardines. The dolphins hunt together and carve off baitballs from the huge sardine slick. Some swim circles around the fish to herd them upwards, while others rush in to feed. The area becomes a bubbling cauldron, with bronze whaler sharks hunting alongside the hundreds of dolphins.
Nikon D2x + 10.5mm f8 lens; 1/250 sec at f8; ISO 100; Subal housing; two Inon strobes.
Laurent Piechegut (France) Eye of the beaver
'I had seen European beavers from the surface but never under the water, in their realm. I found this one along the banks of a river in Languedoc-Roussillon, France. The face-to-face encounter was a beautiful, powerful moment, but a brief one, as I moved aside to let the diligent rodent get on with its work.' By the early 1900s, the Eurasian beaver population was around 1,200. But a successful and ongoing conservation programme means there are now over half a million across Europe and Asia. When a beaver swims underwater it closes its ears and nose. A membrane covers its eyes and throat so it can carry sticks underwater without choking.
Canon EOS 5D + Canon 15mm f2.8 fisheye lens; 1/80 sec at f10; ISO 200; Seacam housing; two Ikelite DS 125 strobes.
Amos Nachoum (United States of America) Sailfish sprinter
'I joined a game-fishing boat in Mexico to try and photograph a sailfish hunting sardines. I was overwhelmed by its abilities, its beauty, grace and power. When I showed the fishermen my images, they were full of a new respect for the sailfish - and for the enforced catch-and-release policy.' With a long, slender bill, the Atlantic sailfish is reputedly the fastest fish in the ocean. It's also a celebrity fish, much sought after by game fishermen. The sport- fishing industry off Cancun, Mexico, is big business, but it now has an enforced catch-and-release policy.
Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III; 1/200 sec at f4; ISO 125; Seacam housing.
Noam Kortler (Israel) Colourful business
'Fish that cruise past get a quick clean - whether they want one or not. Most big reef fish, though, make a point of turning up at the cleaning station for a daily grooming session, which can last several minutes. Queues can form as reef fish wait their turn.' Moses Rock, off the coast of Eilat, Israel, is a regular cleaning station for large reef fish. Similar cleaning stations occur in shallow reefs in tropical water around the world. Big fish, like the dazzling bullethead parrotfish, hold their mouth open so a little cleaner fish can peck inside for parasites. The cleaner fish advertises its identity, and its services, with its black-striped costume and a special jerky swim.
Nikon D2x + Nikon 105mm f2.8G VR micro lens; 1/125 sec at f13; ISO 100; Seacam housing; two Ikelite DS125 strobes. This photograph is available to buy as a print.
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