UPY 2025

UPY  Macro - Winner
'Mimicry'
Javier Murcia

This image is the result of many hours working with the species that live in the seagrass meadows. Both species, both the pipefish (Syngnathus abaster) and the green prawn (Hippolyte sp.) live on the leaves of seagrasses. It is not the first time that I have seen this curious behavior; I have been able to observe it on 4 or 5 occasions but I had never been able to take a good photo of it (after many hours and days looking for the moment). Sometimes the shrimp would move and other times the pipefish would quickly hide in my presence. The pipefish looks like a seagrass leaf and for this reason some prawns merge with its body thinking that they are leaves that move. Both are mimetic species.

Judge's comment: A natural history story concentrated and distilled by the photographer’s composition into a graphically powerful and minimalist photo. This is a special moment, capturing the meeting of the seagrass shrimp and the seagrass pipefish, both in perfect focus. - Alex Mustard