London (CNN) — A magical underwater image of western toad tadpoles has won the 2024 Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition.
The winning image, “The Swarm of Life” by Canadian photojournalist Shane Gross, was chosen from a record-breaking 59,228 entries, according to a statement from the organizers, published Tuesday.
“Shane captured the image whilst snorkelling for several hours through carpets of lily pads in Cedar Lake on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, making sure not to disturb the fine layers of silt and algae covering the bottom of the lake,” the organizers said.
“A near threatened species due to habitat destruction and predators, these tadpoles start their transition into toads between four and twelve weeks after hatching, but an estimated 99% of them will not survive to adulthood.”
Jury chair Kathy Moran, former deputy director of photography at National Geographic magazine, said the judges were “captivated by the mix of light, energy and connectivity between the environment and the tadpoles.”
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