Two male saiga antelopes (scientific name: Saiga tatarica) are clashing in the grasslands. Their large noses, reminiscent of a tapir, might seem comical, but this is a serious fight for their lives. During the mating season, males engage in fierce battles over females, resulting in a mortality rate of 50% to 70% during these confrontations. It's a life-or-death moment: to die or to find a mate.
The UK international journals BMC Ecology and Evolution and BMC Zoology reported on the 15th that Professor Andrey Giljov from the Department of Vertebrate Zoology at Saint Petersburg State University in Russia won the overall championship with his work 'The Sparring of Saiga Antelopes' at this year's science photo exhibition.
◇'To die or to find a mate, that is the question.'
The two journals have held an annual photo exhibition since 2021, showcasing images captured or created by researchers in ecology, evolutionary biology, paleontology, and zoology in their efforts to understand the natural world. The organizers select winners and runners-up across four institutional sectors: social behavior, moving organisms, color strategies, and research field.
The saiga antelope is also called the large-nosed antelope due to its big nose. The large nose filters dust and warms the cold air entering its body through the blood vessels. Professor Giljov noted, 'I set up a hidden cover near the contest site for the males and made no sound to allow the saiga antelopes to approach without being startled.'
There are many wildlife photo exhibitions. What makes the BMC exhibition unique is that it also considers the scientific significance hidden in the photographs. Christy Hipsley, an editor for BMC Ecology and Evolution and a professor at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark, evaluated, 'The pastel-toned background and the cartoonish faces contrast the violent atmosphere of the moment,' while also posing a scientific question: 'Can the males survive until the breeding season despite having endured the ice age, habitat destruction, and poaching?'
The saiga antelope roamed the vast grasslands worldwide during the Pleistocene epoch, from 2.58 million to 12,000 years ago, alongside the mammoth, but is now only found in Russia, Kazakhstan, and Mongolia. Like other animals, it was once pushed to the brink of extinction due to habitat destruction and poaching. Thanks to conservation efforts, its population has significantly recovered, but the loss of males during fierce battles in the breeding season continues to concern scientists.
◇'In unity, there is strength; with a mother, there's nothing to fear.'
The winner of the social behavior institutional sector was Sritam Kumar Sethy from Brahmapur University in India, for his photograph titled 'Larvae and Nature: A Close-Up Journey,' which captured the moment when larvae of the boxelder bug (Acanthocoris scaber) gathered on a leaf. The leaf provided a humid environment, offering the insects a safe space to grow and molt.
Sethy said, 'When larvae gather, it reduces the chances of a predator easily attacking them and helps them obtain essential resources such as food and moisture, which is crucial during their vulnerable early developmental stage.'
The runner-up in this category was a photograph titled 'The Nurturing of Carrion Beetles,' taken by Nick Royle from the University of Exeter in the UK. Carrion beetles lay their eggs and raise their young on the carcasses of small animals. Professor Royle captured the moment when the black sandy carrion beetle (Nicrophorus vespilloides) fed its larvae from the carcass of a rat. Though it appears gruesome, it reflects the dedication of the mother carrion beetle. While raising young in decomposing meat, carrion beetles regularly secrete natural disinfectants to block pathogens.
The winner of the moving organisms institutional sector was not a photograph but an imaginative depiction. It was a representation of a pterosaur flying over the Hebrides during the Jurassic period created by Dr. Natalia Jagielska, a postdoctoral researcher at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Pterosaurs, large flying reptiles, emerged around 230 million years ago and dominated the Mesozoic era alongside terrestrial dinosaurs.
Dr. Jagielska digitally reconstructed the body structure of the pterosaur Dearc sgiathanach, a fossil discovered on the Isle of Skye in Scotland in 2017, using X-ray imaging. This information helped to understand how the pterosaur might have flown and hunted during its life. The award-winning piece resulted from this research. Dr. Jagielska stated, 'Dearc showcases the process by which pterosaurs evolved into larger forms adapted to terrestrial life.'
The runner-up was a photograph taken by Alwin Hardenbol from the Finnish Natural Resources Institute, capturing a humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) leaping out of the water off the coast of Varanger in Norway.
◇'Do I still look like a beetle?'
The winner of the color strategies institutional sector was titled 'Eye for an Eye' by Dr. Abhijeet Bayani from the Indian Institute of Science. This photograph captured the threatening behavior (deimatic behavior) of a beetle, making the insect appear larger or more intimidating to scare or confuse potential predators.
For example, it can show the eyes of a large animal suddenly, frightening predators or momentarily distracting them to create an opportunity to escape. Dr. Bayani remarked, 'When I first discovered the beetle, there was nothing remarkable about it, but as I started taking photos from the front, it suddenly turned its body to show a posture as if a bull was looking at me.'
The runner-up award went to Sritam Kumar Sethy from Brahmapur University for his photograph 'Master of Camouflage,' which captured the moment when a boy's frog (Fejervarya limnocharis) blended seamlessly with a tree. The frog's skin is nearly indistinguishable from the rough bark of the tree, providing perfect camouflage for avoiding predators and ambushing prey.
The first place in the research field institutional sector was awarded to Nick Royle from the University of Exeter for a photograph capturing the moment he attached electronic tags to blue ground beetles (Carabus intricatus). The electronic tags allow researchers to track the movements and behaviors of this rare insect while it searches for food and mates.
Carmel McDougall, an editor for BMC Ecology and Evolution and a professor at the University of St Andrews in the UK, praised it as 'a beautiful photo showing how technological advancements help in gathering data required to establish conservation strategies for the species.'
Second place went to Jack Bamber from the University of Aberdeen in the UK for his entry 'The Sentry,' featuring a photograph captured by a motion-sensing camera of a corncrake family in Scotland.
The entry 'Vigilance,' by Alwin Hardenbol from the Finnish Natural Resources Institute, received an honorable mention for capturing a moment when a goose (Branta leucopsis) rests while migrating from Finland to the western European coast. Jonathan Goldenberg, a researcher at the University of Oslo in Norway, also received an honorable mention for his photograph 'On the Lookout,' which showed a jewel gecko (Naultinus gemmeus) balancing on a branch.
References
2025 BMC Ecology and Evolution and BMC Zoology Image Competition, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12862-025-02423-6