Jens Cullmann staked out the largest pool for his dramatic shot of an enormous and dangerous reptile. The photographer from Germany would capture the brightly-pigmented flaming iris of a crocodile, otherwise invisible within the thick mud; and this would garner Cullmann the prestigious title of Nature Photographer of the Year 2022.
The unforgiving dry season of Mana Pools National Park in Zimbabwe reduces these pools into huge, rapidly drying mud pits yearly. This is where the country’s largest crocodile and hippopotamus populations congregate—where the sweltering heat, sometimes reaching 45 degrees Celsius, sends crocs burrowing down into the dense mud in a bid to cool their body temperatures.
“A giant crocodile such as this one could survive submerged for month without eating, by living off its fat reserves,” Cullmann told World Nature Photography Awards. “This is a process known as aestivation.”
Nature Photographer of the Year 2022
A crocodile at Mana Pools National Park, Zimbabwe, photographed by Jens Cullmann of Germany. Courtesy of Jens Cullmann/World Nature Photography Award
Though encased in heavy, wet earth, the massive reptiles are hardly to be taken lightly. Cullmann said, “I had to be very careful not to disturb the crocodile, even though it was buried in dry mud calm and said they will launch themselves with tremendous speed and power at any animal foolish enough to come too close.”
The contest, World Nature Photography Awards 2022, features myriad other categories besides World Nature Photographer of the Year. Gold prize in Behavior—Mammals category went to Hidetoshi Ogata of Japan, who portrayed a troupe of macaques forming an intimate family huddle on Awaji Island.
As many as 30 macaques will join in these love fest sessions sometimes, though in other locales the huddles consist of just a few macaques—rarely more than 10. “Cuddling and grooming are among several possible reasons for making a huddle,” Ogata said. “It begins with the mother and baby cuddling. Other females and young males then join in, as well as other cuddling groups.”
Behavior—Mammals: Gold
Japanese macaques at Awaji Island photographed by Hidetoshi Ogata of Japan. Courtesy of Hidetoshi Ogata/World Nature Photography Award
Ogata’s photo shows a rare moment during lactation season when three pairs of monkeys form a huddle after grooming. “Most Awaji monkeys are non-aggressive and when they are raising their babies, mothers create individual communities that have no social hierarchies,” Ogata said.
Among the winners, Charles Schmidt from the United States claimed gold in Behavior—Birds category. He spoke of the moment when a male hooded merganser took flight directly at him. “I had been watching a pair of hooded mergansers in anticipation of them taking off,” he said. “Ducks will often begin swimming more quickly when they are preparing to fly. I saw that they began to swim more quickly and thus was prepared to catch them taking off. I was [lucky] that they headed directly towards me!”
Behavior—Birds: Gold
A male hooded merganser photographed by Charles Schmidt of the United States Courtesy of Charles Schmidt/World Nature Photography Award
Besides land animals, the competition showcases more alien-seeming invertebrates, such as the one in Javier Herranz Casellas’s picture. This won him gold prize in the Behavior—Invertebrates category, depicting a red crab covered by a thin veil of water produced by waves hitting the rocks.
Red crabs seek out these rocks while hunting for the small crustaceans and plants on which they feed, Casellas said. This photo was taken at La Gomera Island in his native Spain.
Behavior—Invertebrates: Gold
A red crab at La Gomera Island photographed by Javier Herranz Casellas of Spain. Courtesy of Javier Herranz Casellas/World Nature Photography Award
Reaching beyond the realm of animals, the awards feature the category People in Nature. Norway’s Virgil Reglioni claimed gold in this category for his photo, taken from within the “guts” of a glacier. One can almost feel his trepidation and cold sweat as his camera peers up into the starlight from the pitch of that icy chasm. “Not many people would even dare to go in there, where it is dark, deep, cold, loud, and wet,” Reglioni said of the moment his feet dangled over 100 feet of dark void with tripod in hand. “Abseiling down felt incredible, as the more we penetrated into this dark monster, the more the fear rises up.”
People in Nature: Gold
Inside a glacier in Solheimajokull, South Iceland, photographed by Virgil Reglioni. Courtesy of Virgil Reglioni/World Nature Photography Award
The World Nature Photography Awards also feature the categories: Behavior—Amphibians and Reptiles, Nature Art, Plants and Fungi, Underwater, Black and White, and more.
The winner of the Planet Earth’s Landscapes and Environments category was Jake Mosher of the United States, who hiked, snowshoed, and climbed to the 11,000-foot summit of Wyoming’s Table Mountain to photograph the Milky Way over Grand Teton peak. “While these iconic mountains have been photographed tens of thousands of times, I wanted to show an entirely unique view of them,” he said. “I was treated to one of the most spectacular displays of airglow that I’ve ever seen—similar to the aurora and created by photo-charged particles, but spanning much of the horizon.”
Now, we present a selection of the World Nature Photography Awards’ 2022 winners, handpicked by our editors for our readers’ enjoyment.
Planet Earth’s Landscapes and Environments: Gold
Grand Teton Peak, Wyoming, photographed by Jake Mosher of the U.S. Courtesy of Jake Mosher/World Nature Photography Award
Underwater: Gold
A pair of harlequin shrimp in Indonesia photographed by Adriano Morettin of Italy. Courtesy of Adriano Morettin/World Nature Photography Award
Urban Wildlife: Gold
A common kestrel in the U.K. photographed by Vladislav Tasev of Bulgaria. Courtesy of /Vladislav TasevWorld Nature Photography Award
Nature Art: Gold
Spawning coral in the Red Sea photographed by Tom Shlesinger of Israel. Courtesy of Tom Shlesinger/World Nature Photography Award
Plants and Fungi: Gold
A eucalyptus tree photographed by Julie Kenny of Australia. Courtesy of Julie Kenny/World Nature Photography Award
Animal Portraits: Silver
A seaweed blenny in Florida photographed by Andre Johnson of the U.S. Courtesy of Andre Johnson/World Nature Photography Award
Animals in their Habitat: Silver
A leopard in Kenya photographed by Thomas Vijayan of Canada. Courtesy of Thomas Vijayan/World Nature Photography Award
Animals in their Habitat: Silver
A snow leopard in the Indian Himalayas photographed by Sascha Fonseca of the UAE. Courtesy of Sascha Fonseca/World Nature Photography Award
Urban Wildlife: Silver
A buffy fish owl photographed by Partha Roy of Singapore. Courtesy of Partha Roy/World Nature Photography Award
Underwater: Silver
A male eastern gobbleguts photographed by Talia Greis of Australia. Courtesy of Talia Greis/World Nature Photography Award
Planet Earth’s Landscapes and Environments: Silver
Laguna Colarada, Bolivia, photographed by Beatrice Wong of Hong Kong. Courtesy of Beatrice Wong/World Nature Photography Award
Behavior—Mammals: Bronze
An African savannah elephant photographed by Staffan Widstrand of Sweden. Courtesy of Staffan Widstrand/World Nature Photography Award
Behavior—Birds: Gold
A swallow in Kiskunsag National Park, Hungary photographed by Li Liu from the U.S. Courtesy of Li Liu/World Nature Photography Award
Animal Portraits: Bronze
A bison photographed by Mike Darter of the U.S. Courtesy of Mike Darter/World Nature Photography Award
Planet Earth’s Landscapes and Environments: Bronze
Storm clouds in Iowa photographed by Miki Spitzer of Israel. Courtesy of Miki Spitzer/World Nature Photography Award
Urban Wildlife: Bronze
Two white tailed sea eagles photographed by Nitin Michael of Russia. Courtesy of Nitin Michael/World Nature Photography Award
Behavior—Invertebrates: Silver
A praying mantis and lizard photographed by Takuya Ishiguro of Japan. Courtesy of Takuya Ishiguro/World Nature Photography Award
Underwater: Bronze
A pygmy seahorse photographed by Juho Karhu of Finland. Courtesy of Juho Karhu/World Nature Photography Award
People in Nature: Bronze
A giant oceanic manta ray photographed by Evan Friedman of the United States Courtesy of Evan Friedman/World Nature Photography Award
Nature Art: Bronze
Flamingos over Lake Magadi, Kenya, photographed by Silke Hullmann of Germany. Courtesy of Silke Hullmann/World Nature Photography Award
Behavior—Invertebrates: Bronze
A scorpion burrowing in India photographed by Sitaram Raul of India. Courtesy of Sitaram Raul/World Nature Photography Award
Black and White: Silver
Wildebeests photographed by Artur Stankiewicz of Poland. Courtesy of Artur Stankiewicz/World Nature Photography Award
Plants and Fungi: Silver
Crepidotus fungus photographed by Mr. Endy of Singapore. Courtesy of Mr. Endy/World Nature Photography Award
Black and White: Bronze
Elephants photographed by Jules Oldroyd of the U.K. Courtesy of Jules Oldroyd/World Nature Photography Award
Michael Wing is a writer and editor based in Calgary, Canada, where he was born and educated in the arts. He writes mainly on culture, human interest, and trending news.
