The photo above, of grooming macaques, was taken by Roberto Garcia Roa. He cleaned up at this years British Ecological Society ‘Capturing Ecology’ Photography Competition, taking home multiple awards.

All of the photos were taken by students or ecologists from across the globe.

According to New Atlas, the winners were chosen by a six-strong panel of ecologists and wildlife photographers and will go on display at the Ulster Museum in Belfast, Northern Ireland, in February 2020.

We chose our 10 favourite photos from the winning pool, which are great to stare at as you dream of the weekend.

Andrew Whitworth took top prize in the ‘People and Nature’ category for this shot of a female three-toed sloth crossing the road:

Andrew Whitworth and the British Ecological Society

Roberto García Roa won the overall award for this photograph of a Malagasy tree boa:

Roberto García Roa and the British Ecological Society

He also nabbed a third award in the ‘Up Close and Personal’ category for his photograph of a scorpion under ultraviolet light:

Roberto Garcia Roa and the British Ecological Society

Pablo Javier Merlo took home the student award in the ‘Dynamic Ecosystems’ category for this shot of a cow and chimango:

Pablo Javier Merlo and the British Ecological Society

Overall winner Roberto Garcia Roa also scored the ‘Dynamic Ecosystems’ award for this shot of an ant stuck in a spider’s web:

Roberto Garcia Roa and the British Ecological Society

Khristian Valencia won the student award in the ‘Individuals and Populations’ category for this picture of a cloudy snake and its prey:

Khristian Valencia and the British Ecological Society

The same photographer won the student award in the ‘Up Close and Personal’ category for this shot of a harlequin frog:

Khristian Valencia and the British Ecological Society

Mikhail Kapychka was the overall runner up with this photo of autumnal birch trees:

Mikhail Kapychka and the British Ecological Society

Andrea Parisi was commended for his shot of a gannet and its baby:

Andrea Parisi and the British Ecological Society

Peter Hudson captured this bee-eater regurgitating the remains of a bee, earning him a commendation.

Peter Hudson and the British Ecological Society

I think Roa missed his calling as a nature photographer.

If that didn’t satisfy your need for nature, check out the winners of ‘Nature Photographer of the Year, or hop on over to Nat Geo’s best animal snaps of 2019.

It’s Friday – chill a little.

[source:newatlas]