Australian geographic nature photographer of the year in 2022

The winning image in the South Australian Museum-Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year competition shows a humpback whale carcass and circling sharks, artistically depicting the circle of life with every living animal being food for another

Main image: Threatened species runner up: Head On
To make this charismatic great white shot I needed a non-aggressive shark to avoid risk to us both. I used a fine mix of tuna oil and flake to attract the shark (licenced) but it was never actually fed. South Neptune Islands, South Australia. Photograph: Matty Smith
Thu 25 Aug 2022 21.00 BSTLast modified on Fri 26 Aug 2022 06.18 BST
Overall winner: Nature’s Prey
Tour boats had been watching the young whale for days as it slowly moved through the bay, appearing sicker and slower with more shark bites over its body day after day. Friends had spotted an oil slick on the surface caused by the fallen whale. I rushed out to their location and jumped in the water to find the skeleton of the young humpback whale laying still on the ocean floor. Surrounding the bare bones were several different species of well-fed sharks. Coral Bay, Western Australia.
Photograph: Ashlee Jansen

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The skeleton of a humpback whale on the ocean floor surrounded by several species of sharks
Animals in nature winner: Night Light Dining
Each spring, the Great Dividing Range is treated to a magical event. After sunset, bioluminescent fireflies emerge from the darkest corners of the forest for a short time. However, they’re not entirely safe. Insectivorous dusky leaf-nosed bats leaving their roost capture fireflies mid-flight, displaying a stunning acrobatic aerial battle. Queensland.
Photograph: Jannico Kelk

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