Mesmerizing wildlife photos capture nature's wonders

(CNN) — A tree boa perches in a tree under the cover of night. A three-toed sloth crouches at the side of a wet road in Costa Rica, having narrowly made it across safely. A Madagascan scorpion glows curiously under UV light, and a flock of flamingos scatter over a Lake Magadi, Kenya.

These mesmerizing images of the natural world have been submitted by students and ecologists as part of the British Ecological Society's (BES) annual photography competition, with the winners announced Thursday.

"Unfortunately, many areas of Madagascar are suffering huge anthropic pressures including poaching and fires, and big snakes are becoming increasingly difficult to see," Roberto García Roa, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Valencia, said of his image of a Malagasy tree boa, which was crowned the overall winner of the competition.

"During my visit to Madagascar, I had the pleasure of finding this outstanding snake and photographing it," he added in a statement.

Judged by a panel of ecologists and award-winning wildlife photographers, the images explore nature's diversity, capturing flora and fauna from around the world.

"The standard of the competition is remarkable, with many outstanding photographs being submitted in 2019. Entries this year portrayed the incredible visual diversity of ecology, with images capturing the vibrancy and intimate detail of their subjects," Richard Bardgett, president of the BES said in a statement.

The images will be showcased in a free exhibition in Belfast, Northern Ireland, in February 2020.

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