The image above shows a deer shield mushroom—a wood-rotting fungus—spreading its spores.
Not all tech needs to be a distraction.
Other winners of the ocean life photo contest include penguins in Beatles formation, crabby-looking dolphins, and cuttlefish abstaining from a death match to win over the girl.
From fluorescent mosquitoes to scientists swimming alongside whale sharks, Nature's annual photo contest offers a rare look at science in action.
Check out stunning snapshots depicting all corners of nature, courtesy of the GDT Nature Photography Competition of 2026.
We'll give you a hint: It lives underwater, but it doesn't swim. At least, not as an adult.
Winning shots from the Capturing Ecology competition highlight the complex relationships that shape ecosystems.
Spores swirl below the cap of a deer shield mushroom. Photo: © Agorastos Papatsanis, Wildlife Photographer of the Year 
