This American crocodile (Crocodylus acutus) won’t harm any fly. It shows no movement whatsoever, although horseflies sit on its snout and feed on its blood. Instead of scaring them away, the reptile fixes the camera with its golden eyes. American crocodiles typically reach four meters in length. What is striking and characteristic of this species, which is native to Central and South America, is the clear elevation in front of the eyes on which the bloodsuckers have made themselves comfortable above the water line.
“I took this photo during a research break in Coiba National Park in Panama,” says photographer Zeke Rowe from the Free University of Amsterdam. “The crocodile was lurking in a tidal marsh on the beach. I got as close and deep as I dared and waited for that direct eye contact.” The impressive image was chosen as the overall winner in this year’s British Ecological Society wildlife photography competition.
Under the motto “Capturing ecology”, the organizers searched for the best nature photos from ecological research and amateur photographers worldwide. In addition to the overall winner, a public favorite at the specialist society’s annual meeting in 2025 and a winner in nine subcategories were also honored. These categories collected photos under the keywords “Animals,” “Plants and Fungi,” “Interactions,” “Ecologists in Action,” “Humans and Nature,” “Nature, Food and Agriculture,” “Jute Processing,” “Mobile Ecology,” and “Up Close.”
These winning images show, among other things, a Wallace’s flying frog (Rhacophorus nigropalmatus) with such pronounced webbed feet that its feet serve as a parachute for gliding between trees. Other images show a veterinary examination of a chimpanzee rescued from human trafficking and poaching, jute sticks soaked in water and a flock of startled birds being watched carefully by a drinking lioness at a waterhole.
“The incredible images in this year’s photography competition are a perfect demonstration of how photography can transport us around the world, allowing us to glimpse the everyday wonders and dramatic moments of ecology,” said British Ecological Society President Melanie Austen. “It gives me great joy to see this diversity in this year’s entries – from corals colonizing abandoned bottles in the Philippines to tidal flats in British Columbia to the green glow of intertidal seagrass beds in the Tamar Estuary.”