Post by Macquarie University

Emeritus Professor Rob Harcourt is among five winners in Nature's 2026 photo competition, and the story behind the shot is just as remarkable as the image itself. The Macquarie University Professor of Marine Ecology was in the water at Ningaloo Reef documenting a whale shark feeding event when a silvertip shark crept up on his colleague Mike, who was too focused on collecting microbes to notice. "Swimming next to a 12-metre whale shark as it cruises through the blue, gulping away and seemingly non-plussed by our presence is both humbling and exhilarating," says Harcourt. "It was a reminder that the moment was unfolding within a broader, interconnected marine community." Read more: https://lnkd.in/g8Ntvzv2