September 14, 2014
Cool! Two hippos are are fighting. I got this image from BMC Ecology Image Competition 2014. There are lot more meaningful images for you to explore. Below are the overall all winner and runner-up...
Overall winner: “A Namaqua rock mouse (Aethomys namaquensis, Muridae) getting dusted with pollen of the Pagoda Lily (Whiteheadia bifolia, Hyacinthaceae) while lapping nectar at the flowers.”
Attribution: Petra Wester
Institute of Sensory Ecology, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, German
"At first glance, this image of a Namaqua rock mouse (Aethomys namaquensis, Muridae) getting dusted with pollen of the Pagoda Lily (Whiteheadia bifolia, Hyacinthaceae) might not appear to be particularly striking. But this is an image that is much more than it at first appears. In contrast to last year’s winning image, of an evolutionary adaptation driven by the avoidance of death, this year’s winner offers a fascinating window into a highly unusual evolutionary game in which mutual benefits aid the struggle for survival and reproduction."
Overall runner-up: “Black-browed albatross (Thelassarche melanophrys) and chick on New Island (North-west Falkland I.). One aim of my work is monitoring the demography of these populations. Our objective is to follow the whole population during the different phases of the breeding season recording breeding pair success and fledgling success.”
Attribution: Letizia Campioni
Eco-Ethology Research Unit, ISPA, Portugal
"albatross—who often live to around 70 years of age—invest heavily in the survival of a single chick each year, regurgitating food until they are ready to fledge. The gorgeous detail of this image also serves to highlight fascinating adaptations to life foraging on the wing – the pronounced nostril, or naricorn, that guides saline solution from the salt gland, and the tooth-like structures at the base of the bill—all features for survival in a maritime environment"
image source: BMC Ecology image competition 2014: the winning images
