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A dramatic image of a whale shark rising from the depths to feed on a bait ball has won an international scientific photography competition.
The BMC Ecology and Evolution and BMC Zoology image competition is an annual contest between scientific researchers who snap shots of science and nature in action as they work.
“The slow-moving whale sharks feed on snipefish, herded into tight groups at the surface by large schools of speedy bluefin and smaller tropical tuna, leading to a feeding frenzy,” explained Jorge Fontes from the University of the Azores in Portugal.
A photo of a Kiwikiu being carefully dosed with a few drops of medicine by a scientist was the winner in the Research in Action category.
A single bite from a mosquito carrying avian malaria can be deadly to this endangered species.
The birds used to seek refuge from the insects on the upper slopes of the Haleakala volcano, but because of climate change, the mosquitoes spread to these previously safe areas.
Now, researchers are developing plans to preserve the species.
Pic: Brandon Güell
The runner-up in the category shows a researcher collecting a sediment core in the wetlands of the Florida Everglades, as part of a study investigating methods of reducing phosphorous pollution in the area.
Pic: Victor Huertas
The Protecting Our Planet category winner shows a park ranger assessing coral health at Lady Musgrave Reef in the
southern Great Barrier Reef.
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