Extraordinary close-up of spider thread wins Royal Society Publishing Photography Competition 2025
Extraordinary close-up of spider thread wins Royal Society Publishing Photography Competition 2025
Dancing cranes, tadpoles in a tree and an enormous Atlas moth also celebrated in this year's competition.
The image shows two exceptional silk threads of the Australian netcaster spider, Asianopis subrufa. Unlike typical web-builders, this spider holds a specialized, sticky net between its four front legs. When an unsuspecting insect approaches, the spider rapidly expands its net and casts it over the prey, a maneuver that demands dramatic extensibility from the supporting lines at the sides of the sticky net. These threads are composed of an elastomeric core encased in a sheath of harder fibers of varying sizes; the result is a structure that is both strong and stretchy. The mesmerizing, looping fibers in the image capture the eye with their meandering fiber bundles, which shift in their complex winding from large to small scales. The image covers 50 microns in width and was captured using a Zeiss GeminiSEM 360 field-emission scanning electron microscope under high vacuum and after coating of Au-Pd. Sample obtained by Jonas Wolff.
Photo Credit: Martin J. Ramirez / Royal Society Photography Competition 2025
Run in association with the Royal Photographic Society (RPS), the competition celebrates images that offer a glimpse into the hidden wonders of the world. The work is showcased across five scientific categories: Astronomy, Behaviour, Earth Science and Climatology, Ecology and Environmental Science, and Microimaging.
This year’s entries remind us how much remains concealed in plain sight, from the way animals behave to the incredible colours they produce.
In this gallery, we highlight five standout images that capture those unexpected moments where science, nature and artistry meet.
Royal Society Publishing Photography Competition 2025
Ecology and Environmental Science runner up - Lessons from a Forgotten Dance, Kees Bastmeijer
The dance of Japanese cranes is often the subject of ecological research surrounding these tall birds, but Kees Bastmeijer's main interest lies in the role of these cranes – and their dances – in the culture of Japan’s indigenous people, the Ainu. 'I would like to start a project in which my photography of red-crowned cranes in Hokkaido is connected with the knowledge of Ainu scholars on crane related tales, songs, and dances of the Ainu, with the aim to a) contribute to efforts to introducing people to Ainu culture, and b) inspiring people to reflect on their human-nature relationship through Ainu worldviews," says Bastmeijer. - Photo Credit: Kees Bastmeijer / Royal Society Photography Competition 2025
Ecology and Environmental Science winner - AmphibianGalaxy, Filippo Carugati
Conducting fieldwork during cyclone season gave Filippo Carugati the opportunity to witness a wonderful natural spectacle of the Malagasy frogs' mass reproduction in the Maromizaha rainforest, Madagascar. For many Malagasy frogs, reproduction peaks correspond with winter months, a period characterised by higher temperatures and intense rainfalls. During nocturnal explorations of rivers and wet areas, Filippo had the chance to observe a wide range of reproductive behaviours that characterised each frog species, and to document one of these stunning encounters in situ: a large egg clutch (20-30 cm), probably deposed by a Guibemantis liber frog, hanging to a small trunk next to a little pond. Inside this egg aggregation, several tadpoles were swimming peacefully through the gelatinous substance that formed the majority of the structure. - Photo Credit: Filippo Carugati / Royal Society Photography Competition 2025
Behaviour runner up - The Snake That Flies, Peter Hudson
The Atlas moth is a master of deception. At up to 30 cm across, it is one of the largest moths in the world – yet its size alone doesn’t keep it safe. At the tips of its wings and you’ll see the shapes of two snake heads. Birds are the moth’s main predators, who instinctively avoid snakes. In this way, the moth borrows the fearsome image of a reptile to guard its short adult life.Unlike most insects, adult Atlas moths never eat. Their mouths are sealed, surviving only on energy stored as caterpillars. They have just two weeks to find a mate, lay eggs and protect their future offspring. Every moment counts. - Photo Credit: Irina Petrova Adamatzky / Royal Society Photography Competition 2025
Behaviour winner - Prairie Chicken Jump Off, Peter Hudson
The majority of grouse species exhibit lekking behaviour, where males compete in communal arenas for females. These male greater prairie chickens demonstrate the characteristic aerial combat of the smaller grouse species: one bird launches into the air attempting to strike its opponent before landing and triggering a reciprocal jump attack. Early biologists interpreted this as straight male-male competition somewhat resembling medieval tournaments, where the winning male claims the female. However, it is now apparent that this is really female choice and the females evaluate males across multiple behavioural and morphological traits. Younger males tend to be on the edge of the lek and as they age so they tend to move into the central locations, and these older males are often the individuals the female select. Interestingly, if a female selects a male for copulation then the other females nearby will also select the same male. - Photo Credit: Peter Hudson / Royal Society Photography Competition 2025
Overall winner - Mesmerising Spider Threads, Martín J. Ramírez
The image shows two exceptional silk threads of the Australian netcaster spider. Unlike typical web-builders, this spider holds a specialised, sticky net between its four front legs. When an unsuspecting insect approaches, the spider rapidly expands its net and casts it over the prey, a manoeuvre that demands dramatic extensibility from the supporting lines at the sides of the sticky net. These threads are composed of an elastomeric core encased in a sheath of harder fibres of varying sizes; the result is a structure that is both strong and stretchy. The image covers 50 microns in width and was captured using a Zeiss GeminiSEM 360 field-emission scanning electron microscope under high vacuum and after coating of Au-Pd. Sample obtained by Jonas Wolff. - Photo Credit: Martin J. Ramirez / Royal Society Photography Competition 2025
"The judges were unanimous in their selection of this winning photograph," says Hugh Turvey, Science Committee Chair at the Royal Photographic Society and a member of the judging panel.
"We evaluate entries on two key criteria: aesthetic appeal and the ability to convey a compelling scientific phenomenon. This bold, graphic SEM of inconceivable rope-like structures – with their remarkable twists and complex undulations – evokes a sense of wonder, perfectly demonstrating the intersection of artistic form and scientific function."
Picture researcher across BBC Science Focus, BBC Countryfile and BBC Wildlife
Lily is the picture researcher across BBC Science Focus, BBC Countryfile and BBC Wildlife. She holds a degree in Photojournalism, where she specialised in social documentary reportage. Her photographic work has been shortlisted for the BarTur Photo Award’s Unity in Diversity category and exhibited internationally as part of the Urban Photo Awards. Before joining the team, she worked on freelance projects and as a product specialist for leading camera brands.
