This one planet

Close up of the reef-dwelling harlequin mantis shrimp.

My precious. The reef-dwelling harlequin mantis shrimp (Odontodactylus scyllarus) went viral a few years ago when researchers discovered that it has the fastest punch of any living animal – 80km/h, used to smash through its prey’s exoskeleton. This individual is focused on protecting its clutch of eggs. The photographer says it took several minutes to “obtain this visual contact with both eyes, considering they can be moved independently in all directions”. Photographer: Andrew Michelutti, Italy.

Patagonian landscape. — Winter is coming. If you could watch the Patagonian landscape change over deep time, you would see glaciers flow, swell and retreat; volcanoes spew out lava that would become plateaus; rivers carve out deep, wide valleys; continents smash together and rip apart. But on human timescales, changes are visible with the seasons, including spectacular autumn shows as deciduous trees prepare for winter. Photographer: Bing Le, Canada.

A swollen river with trees reflected on the surface. — The pace of reflection. Some shots don’t need fancy equipment, just the right timing. “I was on a train passing through Andhra Pradesh state in India, when I saw this scene,” says photographer Indirani Thevar. “I photographed it with my mobile phone.” Andhra Pradesh is also known as the ‘rice bowl of India’; the region flooded several times last year, hit with heavy rains that caused major rivers to swell. Shortlist, Open Competition, Landscape Photographer: Indirani Thevar, India.

A pygmy seahorse covered in reddish bumps known as tubercles. — Catch me if you can. Spotted here among fan corals near Tulamben, Bali, this pygmy seahorse (Hippocampus bargibanti) is covered in reddish bumps known as tubercles. The species blends in so perfectly with its surroundings that it wasn’t discovered until specimens of its host coral were examined in a laboratory in 1969, and the researcher happened to notice two tiny seahorses among the bright colour. Shortlist, Open Competition, Natural World & Wildlife Photographer: Charly Clérisse, France.

A stoat leaping into the air. — Game on. This twisting, leaping behaviour of the stoat (Mustela erminea) still puzzles researchers. Is it an involuntary response to parasite infections, or is it part of the hunting process? “Sometimes, the dances are performed in front of a rabbit or large bird in an apparent attempt to confuse or distract potential prey,” says photographer Jose Manuel Grandio. “But on other occasions – as here – there is no prey animal in sight.” Perhaps it’s practicing. Shortlist, Open Competition, Natural World & Wildlife Photographer: Jose Manuel Grandio, Spain .

Three deer emerge of the orange mist of a hazy morning. — Dawn portal. Through the haze of morning, three deer emerge from the orange mist to cross defunct railway lines in Hungary. More than 100,000 red deer roam the country’s woodlands; the stags in particular are highly prized by hunters. Shortlist, Open Competition, Natural World & Wildlife Photographer: Tibor Prisznyák, Hungary.

Wildebeest cross the mara river on their way to the masai mara in kenya. — Running the gauntlet. Each year, more than a million wildebeest trek from the Serengeti Plain in Tanzania to the lush grasslands of the Masai Mara in Kenya, seeking fresh grazing and water. Their greatest obstacle is the Mara River. Crossing it is no easy feat when crocodiles lay in wait in the water, and this image captures the panic and frenzy of the wildebeests – but also their explosive power and athleticism. Shortlist, Open Competition, Natural World & Wildlife Photographer: Arnfinn Johansen, Norway.

The sand dunes of death valley in california are shown in shadow. — The dune soundtrack. With their chiselled ripples and pockets of shadows, the sand dunes of Death Valley in California form a beguiling landscape. The peaks can rise to over 200 metres tall, and if you stand at the very top, the sand may sing to you. As sand grains slide down the dunes’ steep faces, the friction produces a sound akin to the bass note of a pipe organ, humming through the desert. Shortlist, Open Competition, Landscape Photographer: Marcin Zajac, Poland.

Geological pillars rising out of the landscape in south tyrol, italy. — Earth pyramids. Gothic spires, landslide towers, alien geology – these spectacular formations have been called many things, but their true origin lies in ice. Rising out of a forest in South Tyrol, Italy, these geological pillars were once part of a loose, rocky deposit left over by a glacier. Over the years, surface water has eroded away much of the deposit, but large rocks act as a protective cap, leaving some columns still standing – for now. Shortlist, Open Competition, Landscape Photographer: Robert Bilos, Croatia.

A solitary chinstrap penguin is contrasted against the antarctic ice. — Hot feet. This chinstrap penguin appears to be out for a delightful jaunt on the Antarctic ice, but the solitary figure it cuts is painfully prescient. Like all polar species – including its favourite food, krill – this penguin (Pygoscelis antarcticus) lives under the darkening shadow of our fossil fuel addiction; in some colonies, population numbers have more than halved over the past 50 years. Shortlist, Open Competition, Natural World & Wildlife Photographer: Alex Pansier, Netherlands.

A lone polar bear navigates the rocky landscape in the nordenskjold land national park. — What’s below the ice? Near the opposite pole, on Norway’s Svalbard archipelago, a lone polar bear navigates the rocky landscape of the Nordenskjøld Land National Park. “A decade ago there was a glacier,” photographer Mark Fitzsimmons says. Svalbard was originally settled for mining purposes; Norway is closing the last coal mine by 2025, but continues to open up new oil drilling areas in the Arctic. Shortlist, Open Competition, Natural World & Wildlife Photographer: Mark Fitzsimmons, Australia.

Originally published by Cosmos as This one planet

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