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

The natural world is filled with moments of wonder and panic — and it ’s those moments that are captured in the finalist of this year’sBMC Ecology and Evolution image contender . The photo competition , now in its second yr , is mean as a originative showcase of the work that ecologist and evolutionary biologists do out in the field , as well as the tightly interconnected relationships between fauna and their environments ( humans include ) .

The 2022 winner is something that would fit right at home plate inside of a John Carpenter horror film , as it sport a fungus bursting out of its fly front host on its way to infect others . But there are less gruesome sights to behold as well , like an anole lizard using a great trick to rest underwater . A sum of 12 finalists are sport this class , including the overall winner , a achiever and contrabandist - up for four specific category , and three honorable credit .

Animals