by A stunning image of a golden horseshoe crab shuffling along the seabed with three striped fish overhead has won this year's Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition.
Laurent Ballesta, a French underwater photographer and marine biologist, captured the striking scene in the protected waters of Pangatalan Island in the Philippines, a refuge for endangered tri-spine horseshoe crabs (Tachypleus tridentatus).
These horseshoe crabs have existed for more than 100 million years, award representatives said in a statement shared with Live Science, but they now face habitat destruction and dwindling food due to overfishing.
Humans also harvest them for their unique blue blood, which is used in the development of vaccines.
Source
Laurent Ballesta, a French underwater photographer and marine biologist, captured the striking scene in the protected waters of Pangatalan Island in the Philippines, a refuge for endangered tri-spine horseshoe crabs (Tachypleus tridentatus).
These horseshoe crabs have existed for more than 100 million years, award representatives said in a statement shared with Live Science, but they now face habitat destruction and dwindling food due to overfishing.
Humans also harvest them for their unique blue blood, which is used in the development of vaccines.
Source
