UPY 2025

UPY  Behaviour - Third
'A tiger shark feeds on a humpbackwhale carcass'
Brooke Pyke

When a whale falls to the ocean floor, nothing goes to waste. A young humpback whale's carcass lay slumped on the sand, and within a few days, the bones had already been stripped. This lone tiger shark remained at the scene cleaning every scrap it can scavenge. The meat from this death will have fed countless sharks of all types, fish and sea birds. This huge transfer of energy travelled all the way from Antarctica to arrive on the Ningaloo. It is as if this section of the reef has won the lottery. This is one of the most moving scenes I have ever photographed, I was both emotional and yet mesmerised by the pure, raw beauty it.

Judge's comment: Natural recycling perfectly captured and composed with the lighting on the sand providing the visual icing. This is a great reportage image which imparts both the sad and the positive sides.
Peter Rowlands