12 Photos That Show the Extreme—and Extremely Weird—Sides of Life

The natural world is filled with moments of wonder and terror—and it’s those moments that are captured in the finalists of this year’s BMC Ecology and Evolution image competition. The photo contest, now in its second year, is intended as a creative showcase of the work that ecologists and evolutionary biologists perform out in the field, as well as the tightly interconnected relationships between animals and their environments (humans included).

The 2022 winner is something that would fit right at home inside of a John Carpenter horror film, as it features a fungus bursting out of its fly host on its way to infect others. But there are less gruesome sights to behold as well, like an anole lizard using a nifty trick to breathe underwater. A total of 12 finalists are featured this year, including the overall winner, a winner and runner-up for four specific categories, 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,” said BMC editor Jennifer Harman in a statement provided 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.”

The natural world is filled with moments of wonder and terror—and it’s those moments that are captured in the finalists of this year’s BMC Ecology and Evolution image competition. The photo contest, now in its second year, is intended as a creative showcase of the work that ecologists and evolutionary biologists perform out in the field, as well as the tightly interconnected relationships between animals and their environments (humans included).

The 2022 winner is something that would fit right at home inside of a John Carpenter horror film, as it features a fungus bursting out of its fly host on its way to infect others. But there are less gruesome sights to behold as well, like an anole lizard using a nifty trick to breathe underwater. A total of 12 finalists are featured this year, including the overall winner, a winner and runner-up for four specific categories, 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,” said BMC editor Jennifer Harman in a statement provided 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.”