Photo Contest Vote: Animal

Posted 30 August 2009 by Reed A. Cartwright

Below are all our finalists in the "Animal" section of our Photo Contest. Please look through them one last time before voting for your favorite. We know it is possible to game these polls. Please act like adults and don't vote more than once. If we believe that the results are invalid, the contest will be canceled. The photos and poll are below the fold.

Iguana iguana by Geoffrey C. Locke — Green or common iguana, a local feral/invasive species in south Florida
Tympanocryptis cephalus by Paul Blake — blotch-tailed earless dragon. Northwest Queensland (Australia) between Mount Isa and Camooweal
Regulus satrapa by Dave Rintoul — golden-crowned kinglet, male, captured at a winter bird-banding site near Ft. Smith, Arkansas. These tiny (6 g) birds have been in North America for eons; fossil remains of kinglets, dated to 400 ka ago, have been found in tar pit deposits in California.
Brachynemurus abdominalis by Gregory Zolnerowich — adult ant lion, whose larvae dig pits in sandy soil and prey on ants or small arthropods that tumble down the pit
Hemisquilla californiensis by Mike Bok — magnified view of a uropod, or tail feather, of mantis shrimp. Bright colors for intraspecific communication are abundant on these animals, and their visual system is uniquely specialized for advanced color and polarization discrimination.
Archilochus colubris by Darren Garrison — ruby-throated hummingbird killing yellowjacket (Vespula squamosa). Hummingbird is territorial and attacks yellowjacket invading bird feeder. South Carolina.

12 Comments

Alan B · 30 August 2009

Torn between 4!

What a difficult choice. All the photographers are to be applauded!!

Ichthyic · 30 August 2009

Indeed.

excellent photos, one and all.

I know from personal experience what a difficult (or lucky) cap that hummingbird/wasp shot was to get.

Jimmy · 30 August 2009

Go go Tympanocryptis cephalus!

jeff locke · 30 August 2009

i voted for hemisquilla californiensis, but mine was a close second!

Wheels · 30 August 2009

Jimmy said: Go go Tympanocryptis cephalus!

Where is that? I keep looking for the picture but all I see is one with a bunch of rocks! :b

CyberLizard · 31 August 2009

Iguana iguana FTW! How could I vote for anything else? ;-)

Henry J · 31 August 2009

but all I see is one with a bunch of rocks! :b

Look for the rock with eyes... ;)

Mauro · 1 September 2009

the Archilochus is really great!!!!

jeff locke · 1 September 2009

CyberLizard said: Iguana iguana FTW! How could I vote for anything else? ;-)

...well, to be entirely fair, there is another lizard. and with a slightly more interesting name. the iguana is one of those few animals who has a common name, genus name, AND species that are all the same.

Wheels · 1 September 2009

jeff locke said:
CyberLizard said: Iguana iguana FTW! How could I vote for anything else? ;-)
...well, to be entirely fair, there is another lizard. and with a slightly more interesting name. the iguana is one of those few animals who has a common name, genus name, AND species that are all the same.

See also: Bison bison. In fact, there's even a subspecies: B. bison bison. But these also have an alternate common name.
Or as I like to say, "Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo."

Reed A. Cartwright · 4 September 2009

test

notedscholar · 5 September 2009

I chose Tympanocryptis cephalus by Paul Blake. This one is the best because in addition to picturing the animal, it most successfully also highlight the animal's environment and surrounding. In fact, it is triking the way in which the Tympahncryptocolus fits into its desert-like world.