Hotshots
Commended images from Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2020 - the Natural History Museum’s showcase for the world’s best nature photos
Highly Commended, Under Water
The Night Shift by Laurent Ballesta, France
As darkness falls on the remote coral Fakarava Atoll in French Polynesia, the molluscs begin to move. These large topshells - reaching 15 centimetres across the base - spend the day hiding in crevices among corals, usually on the outer fringes of the reef, withstanding the strong currents and surf. At night, they emerge to graze on algal pavements and coral rubble.
Their thick, cone-shaped shells, shown encrusted with algae, were so sought after - to make mother-of-pearl buttons, jewellery and other handicrafts - that the species was once the world’s most traded invertebrate. This led to its widespread decline, and it is now the focus of conservation efforts.
Cruising behind these slow grazers is one of the reef’s top predators - a grey reef shark, nearly two metres long - capable of speeds of nearly 50 kilometres per hour and ready for a night’s hunting. It pinpoints prey (mostly bony reef fish) with its acute senses and often hunts in packs.