REGENT BOWERBIRD, SERICULUS CHRYSOCEPHALUS. Ofer Levy, New South Wales.
This male regent bowerbird was photographed at O’Reilly’s Rainforest Retreat where these birds are used to people and offer great photo opportunities. Only the male has the beautiful bright colours. He typically builds a big bower where he tries to impress the females and mate with as many of them as possible during the breeding season.
Lamington National Park, Queensland. Canon EOS 1D Mk IV, Canon 300mm f/2.8 L IS plus 1.4x extender 420mm, 1/3200, f/7.1, ISO 1250, handheld

LONGICORN BEETLE, CERAMBYCIDAE SP. There are more than 1250 species of longicorn beetle in Australia, most with elaborate antennae. The antennae of these species are usually dull brown; however, if light is flashed from behind, they become a stunning bright orange. Bensville, New South Wales. Canon EOS 1DX, Tamron 90mm 1:1, 1, f/16, ISO 200, two flashes, tripod

GIANT CLAM, TRIDACNA SP. I gently hovered above this clam to capture a photograph when it was open, with its mantle extended.  The rich soft mantle tissue is patterned with symbiotic photosynthetic dinoflagellate algae, and you can see the adductor muscle in the centre. Raja Ampat, Indonesia. Canon EOS 5D Mk II, Canon AF macro lens 100mm, 1/200, F/25, ISO 200, two Inon strobes, Nexus housing, handheld

NANKEEN KESTREL, FALCO CENCHROIDES.I followed a pair of nankeen kestrels which nested near a deserted soccer field. When their young fledged, they practised their hunting skills close to the nesting site, typically hovering about 10-20 metres above the field searching for insects and other small creatures. Barton Park, New South Wales. Canon EOS 1D Mk II, Canon 500 f/4 L IS plus 1/4 extender 700mm, 1/2000, f/5.6, ISO 500, handheld

UNIDENTIFIED SPECIES. Night diving in the Lembeh Strait reveals all sorts of amazing marine creatures, including lots of squid. This one was mesmerised by my red focus light and hung around for quite sometime while I snapped away. Lembeh Strait, Sulawesi Island, Indonesia. Nikon D7100, Nikkor 60mm macro lens, 1/200, f/18, ISO 200, two Inon Z-240 strobes, Nauticam housing, handheld

HUMPBACK WHALE, MEGAPTERA NOVAEANGLIAE. This smooth-skinned, newborn calf was
less than a day old. You can still see the folds where it had been tightly wrapped in a foetal position. Kingdom of Tonga. Canon EOS 5D Mk II, Canon 16-25mm, 1/160, f/6.3, ISO 320

HAIRY FROGFISH, ANTENNARIUS STRIATUS. Frogfish are ambush predators and often blend into their surroundings – this particular specimen resembles a bright orange sponge. I took this portrait of a hairy frogfish while scuba diving in Lembeh Strait. Lembeh Strait, Sulawesi Island, Indonesia. Canon EOS 50D, Tokina 35mm macro lens, 1/200, f/22, ISO 200, Inon Z-240 strobe, Hugyfot housing, handheld

BLUEBOTTLE, PHYSALIA PHYSALIS. Despite its potentially dangerous sting, the bluebottle zooid is an amazingly beautiful creature. I wanted to demonstrate this with careful lighting and composition. On this particular morning a whole armada of them had been blown into this little bay where they were trapped overnight, enabling me to get my shot. Bushrangers Bay, Shellharbour, New South Wales. Nikon D300s, Nikon 10.5mm f/2.8 fisheye, 1/320, f/13, ISO 320, Inon Z220 Substrobe, Blusnoot Fibre Optic Snoot, Aquatica for D300s, Aquatica 8″ Acrylic Dome Port, handheld.

SEA LION, NEOPHOCA CINEREA. Hidden away on the coast of Western Australia, the town of Jurien Bay is home to a number of Australian sea lion colonies. Young females congregate on the beaches in harems controlled by a large single male or beach master. Jurien Bay, Western Australia. Canon EOS 5D Mk II, Canon 16-25mm, 1/200, f/14, ISO 320, two Ikelite 161 strobes