The pure world is stuffed with moments of surprise and terror—and it’s these moments which are captured within the finalists of this 12 months’s BMC Ecology and Evolution image competition. The photograph contest, now in its second 12 months, is meant as a inventive showcase of the work that ecologists and evolutionary biologists carry out out within the area, in addition to the tightly interconnected relationships between animals and their environments (people included).

The 2022 winner is one thing that will match proper at residence inside a John Carpenter horror movie, because it encompasses a fungus bursting out of its fly host on its option to infect others. But there are much less ugly sights to behold as nicely, like an anole lizard utilizing a nifty trick to breathe underwater. A complete of 12 finalists are featured this 12 months, together with the general winner, a winner and runner-up for 4 particular classes, and three honorable mentions.

“Judging the many outstanding images submitted to this year’s competition was a wonderful and challenging experience. Our senior Editorial Board Members used their expertise to ensure the winning images were picked as much for the scientific stories behind them as for the technical quality and beauty of the images themselves,” mentioned BMC editor Jennifer Harman in an announcement supplied to Gizmodo. “We thank all those who took part in this year’s competition and we hope that our readers enjoy viewing these images and discovering the stories behind them.”