Message #242503

[Christiana Hanaman]

Second Place: Student Photography

Photograph courtesy Philip Gillette, RSMAS

Harlequin shrimp—such as the one in this winning picture taken in Thailand's Similan Islands—mate for life, and the pairs work together to capture and kill their favorite prey: starfish.

One of the shrimp locates a starfish, flips it over, and drags the prey into the shrimp's lair. The couple then devours the starfish's internal organs, starting from the tips of its arms down to its central disk—keeping their victim alive for as long as possible.

(See "Prozac Pollution Making Shrimp Reckless.")

Published April 26, 2012