Crazy Shrimp Hangs Out in Even Crazier Eel's Mouth

For the last 43 years, National Wildlife magazine, the award-winning publication of the National Wildlife Federation, has held a photo contest as a way to encourage people to get outside and learn about wildlife and our environment through the art of photography.

We get some pretty awesome photos each year, but this one of a banded cleaner shrimp cleaning out the mouth of a viper moray eel near Kona, Hawaii is one of my all time favorites.  This behavior, where predatory animals like the eel understand that the cleaner shrimp is doing them a service and allow the shrimp into their mouths without trying to eat it, is one of the oddest and most fascinating in nature.

Enter the Contest
National Wildlife Federation is accepting submissions for the 2013 photo contest. Submission deadline is Monday, July 15, at 11:59 p.m. ET, US.

You don’t have to be a professional photographer to participate.

The contest has seven categories: Baby Animals, Birds, Mammals, Other Wildlife, Landscapes and Plant Life, Backyard Habitat and Connecting People and Nature. There is also a People’s Choice Award voted on by visitors to the website, as well as a separate Youth Category for photographers age 13-17.

Last year, photographers from all over the world entered more than 28,000 images in the competition, and the public cast more than 457,000 votes online for the People’s Choice Award.

You can enter the contest or simply view this year’s entries at the National Wildlife magazine photo contest website. Visitors to the site can view all entries, vote for their favorites and share them with family and friends through Twitter and Facebook.

Learn how to protect wildlife with David and the National Wildlife Federation.

It’s not about the animals. It’s about the way animals make us feel. Watch the latest Animal Planet videos and full episodes. Surprisingly Human.

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