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A bizarre , epenthetic industrial plant that looks like a scowling bird of Minerva has gain ground a global picture taking contest for the good shot of a industrial plant or fungus . Nestled in glowering soil , the " owl " glows an eerie emerald , according to theWorld Nature Photography Awards .

PhotographerChatree Lertsintanakornsnapped the mesmerizing ikon in a secluded wildlife bema in Thailand , where the miniscule plant life ' blossom bodies pop out of the ground at the base of trees .

An owl-shaped bloom of a parasitic plant, glowing green against a black background.

Photographer Chatree Lertsintanakorn snapped the mesmerizing image in a secluded wildlife sanctuary in Thailand.

The plant life , Thismia thaithongiana , is a myco - heterotrophic species , entail it doesn’tphotosynthesizebutobtains its Energy Department and nutrient from fungi — more specifically the fungus associated with the roots of Tree . In 2018 , scientists discovered it in theDoi Hua Mot Mountains in Thailand .

lilliputian is cognize about this flora , but its peculiar shaped eubstance has result to its name,“Phisawong Ta Nok Hook , " which translate to " orphic owl ’s eye,“according to Nation Thailand .

T. thaithongianaspends most of its animation underground until it bursts up , break its odd fruiting body .

A basket of baboon skulls at a market.

Enrique Lopez Tapia: “Olive baboon (Papio anubis) and hornbill heads at the Abomey voodoo market. Any wild animal that runs, flies, jumps or crawls is hunted to supply these markets for voodoo ceremonies. Travelling the roads and fields of Benin, and seeing the markets, one realises why there is an absence of wild animals - it is very difficult to see or hear any wild birds, and almost impossible to spot a monkey or any other mammal."(Image credit: Enrique Lopez Tapia/World Nature Photography Awards)

Lertsintanakorn con about the rare species while meeting with photographer Suchat Chanhomhuan , one of its discoverers .

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With the help of Chanhomhuan , Lertsintanakorn settle the works in the Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary in Thailand ’s Tak Province . " I mark it grew primarily near the base of Tree , making it easy to overlook , " Lertsintanakorn tell Live Science in an email .

An orca dives underwater splitting a herring ball in two.

Andy Schmidt, Switzerland: “A female orca splitting a herring bait ball while diving through it to get one, shot from underneath while freediving. Every winter, enormous schools of herring migrate from the open ocean into the fjords of Northern Norway and attract large numbers of big predators such as orcas and humpback whales. Witnessing orcas feeding on herring using the so-called carousel feeding technique is very exciting but not easy to capture due to various factors: limited light and visibility, fast-paced action plus cold surface and water temperature. Being able to freedive and capture the action on an ongoing feeding frenzy in these conditions is difficult but I managed to create a series of photos I had never dreamt of capturing."(Image credit: Andy Schmid /World Nature Photography Awards)

Its location is prime real demesne for the tiny sponge . In general , some species of fungus be around and inside the ascendent of enormous trees . They produce an cloak-and-dagger internet in search of minerals that they pass on to the trees . In return , trees give them nutritious boodle — in an coalition known as a symbiotic relationship .

T. thaithongianainterrupts this human relationship bystealing the nutrient bring on by the fungi .

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Almost like smoke, a wave passes over crabs that cling onto the rocks underneath.

Bill Klipp USA : “It was late afternoon in Puerto Egas, Santiago Island, Galapagos and the colorful Sally Light Foot Crabs were returning to the lava-rock-encrusted shoreline. I knew that when a wave came in, the crabs would lock down, holding on tight so they did not get washed away, so I set up my tripod and pre-focused on the rocks setting a very slow shutter speed to blur the moving water while keeping the stationary crab sharp."(Image credit: Bill Klipp /World Nature Photography Awards)

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T. thaithongianais only visible when its fruiting body grows out of the ground , and even then , it is incredibly tiny . " I was surprised by its diminutive sizing , measuring a mere 2 to 8 millimeters [ 0.08 to 0.3 inch ] in length , " he tell . Lertsintanakorn ’s image was award Gold in the Plants and Fungi class in the World Nature Photography Awards . constitute in 2020 , the competition is now in its 5th year with over 3,000 image entries this year .

a photo of an eye looking through a keyhole

" Our winners never bomb to take our breath away with their arresting images . As always , it ’s such a joyousness to see the awing calibre of launching into the honor , " order Adrian Dinsdale , cofounder of the World Nature Photography Awards in astatement .

Other notable images from the competitor let in a haunt collection of olive baboon ( Papio Anpu ) heading and skulls at the Abomey juju market in Benin , an grampus ( Orcinus orca ) splitting a herring ball underwater , and a radical of crabs snaffle onto the lava rock - encrusted shoreline under a wave of pee .

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