Pictures: Best Underwater Views of 2010 Announced

Egg Protector

Photograph by Stephen Holinski, DEEP Indonesia/Barcroft/Fame Pictures

A picture of a mantis shrimp guarding its eggs in Anilao, Philippines, took home top honors in the "Compact Cameras" category.

The species is known to see colors invisible to humans and other animals, viewing the world in 11 or 12 primary colors, as opposed to our humble 3.

(See photo: "New Eyeless Crustacean Found in Underwater Cave.")

Published November 22, 2010

Lone Lionfish

Photograph by Amir Stern, DEEP Indonesia/Barcroft/Fame Pictures

A lionfish swims among a school of glassfish in Egypt's Red Sea. The picture won third place in the "Reefscapes" category. (See more coral reef pictures.)

Recently in the U.S., lionfish have begun expanding their range up the East Coast. The fast-multiplying invasive species is venomous and  voracious, sparking a federal "Eat Lionfish" campaign and environmentalist-sponsored lionfish-hunting contests, according to the Wall Street Journal.

(See pictures of undersea Indonesia in National Geographic magazine.)

Published November 22, 2010

Firstborn Seahorse

Photograph by Lazaro Ruda, DEEP Indonesia/Barcroft/Fame Pictures

A firstborn seahorse pops out of its father off Singer Island, Florida, in the third place picture in the "Animal Behavior" category.

The male seahorse has a pouch on its stomach in which to carry babies—as many as 2,000 at a time. A pregnancy lasts from 10 to 25 days, depending on the species. (Read more about seahorse fathers.)

Published November 22, 2010

Sand Trap

Photograph by Ramón Domínguez, DEEP Indonesia/Barcroft/Fame Pictures

Titled "Underwater Sadness," a photograph of a sea turtle caught in a net in the Sea of Cortez (see map) won third place in the "Environment and Conservation" category.

Six of the seven known sea turtle species are listed as vulnerable, endangered, or critically endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List of Threatened Species. (See more sea turtle pictures.)

Fifteen percent of the Deep Indonesia contest's proceeds will be donated to marine-conservation efforts.

(Learn how to protect the ocean with National Geographic.)

Published November 22, 2010

Blue-Eyed Eel

Photograph by Michael McEvoy, DEEP Indonesia/Barcroft/Fame Pictures

A close-up of a blue-eyed moray eel in Indonesia captured an honorable mention in the "Indonesia Residents" category. Known to grow as long as about 5 feet (1.5 meters), moray species generally lack pectoral fins, unlike most other eel species.

(Explore an interactive of underwater sights and sounds in Indonesia.)

Published November 22, 2010