UPY 2025

UPY  Behaviour - Winner
'Face Off'
Shunsuke Nakano

This is a photo of two male Asian sheepshead wrasse fighting. The unique form of this species is characteristic of males, who form harems and claim territories during the breeding season. The one on the left in the photo is the harem king, who has defended his territory for more than 10 years and is estimated to be over 30 years old, while the one on the right is a young challenger.
Although I had planned carefully to capture the images, the 2024 season was more difficult to predict than usual, and despite staying there for a week during the breeding season, I was only able to observe this scene once, for just 10 seconds. And this was the only photograph I was able to take. The sight of them fighting in their flashy white outfits was so magnificent I can still remember it vividly.

Judge's comment: Perfectly timed to capture the moment of the contender challenging the king. The fight for hierarchy is the strongest form of behaviour. Well lit with no distracting background, this image leapt out immediately and continued to be the one to beat off the challengers.

Peter Rowlands