Mesmerizing photo shows weird, scowling parasitic plant that looks like a owl

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Photographer Chatree Lertsintanakorn snapped the mesmerizing image in a secluded wildlife sanctuary in Thailand. (Image credit: Chatree Lertsintanakorn/WNPA)

A bizarre, parasitic plant that looks like a scowling owl has won a global photography contest for the best snapshot of a plant or fungus. Nestled in dark soil, the "owl" glows an eerie emerald, according to the World Nature Photography Awards.

Photographer Chatree Lertsintanakorn snapped the mesmerizing image in a secluded wildlife sanctuary in Thailand, where the miniscule plants' blooming bodies pop out of the ground at the base of trees.

The plant, Thismia thaithongiana, is a myco-heterotrophic species, meaning it doesn't photosynthesize but obtains its energy and nutrients from fungi — more specifically the fungus associated with the roots of trees. In 2018, scientists discovered it in the Doi Hua Mot Mountains in Thailand.

Little is known about this plant, but its peculiar shaped body has led to its name,"Phisawong Ta Nok Hook," which translates to "mysterious owl's eye," according to Nation Thailand.

T. thaithongiana spends most of its life underground until it bursts up, revealing its peculiar fruiting body.

Lertsintanakorn learned about the rare species while meeting with photographer Suchat Chanhomhuan, one of its discoverers.

Related: 'Hauntingly beautiful' image of a golden horseshoe crab wins wildlife photography competition

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With the help of Chanhomhuan, Lertsintanakorn located the plant in the Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary in Thailand's Tak Province. "I noticed it grew primarily near the base of trees, making it easy to overlook," Lertsintanakorn told Live Science in an email.

Its location is prime real estate for the tiny parasite. In general, some species of fungus live around and inside the roots of enormous trees. They produce an underground network in search of minerals that they pass on to the trees. In return, trees give them nutritious sugars — in an alliance known as a symbiotic relationship.

T. thaithongiana interrupts this relationship by stealing the nutrients produced by the fungi.

T. thaithongiana is only visible when its fruiting body grows out of the ground, and even then, it is incredibly tiny. "I was surprised by its diminutive size, measuring a mere 2 to 8 millimeters [0.08 to 0.3 inch] in length," he said. Lertsintanakorn's image was awarded Gold in the Plants and Fungi category in the World Nature Photography Awards. Founded in 2020, the competition is now in its fifth year with over 3,000 image entries this year.

"Our winners never fail to take our breath away with their stunning images. As always, it's such a joy to see the amazing caliber of entries into the awards," said Adrian Dinsdale, cofounder of the World Nature Photography Awards in a statement.

Other notable images from the competition include a haunting collection of olive baboon (Papio anubis) heads and skulls at the Abomey voodoo market in Benin, an orca (Orcinus orca) splitting a herring ball underwater, and a group of crabs grabbing onto the lava rock-encrusted shoreline under a wave of water.

Enrique Lopez Tapia: "Olive baboon (Papio anubis) and hornbill heads at the Abomey voodoo market. Any wild animal that runs, flies, jumps or crawls is hunted to supply these markets for voodoo ceremonies. Travelling the roads and fields of Benin, and seeing the markets, one realises why there is an absence of wild animals - it is very difficult to see or hear any wild birds, and almost impossible to spot a monkey or any other mammal."(Image credit: Enrique Lopez Tapia/World Nature Photography Awards)Andy Schmidt, Switzerland: "A female orca splitting a herring bait ball while diving through it to get one, shot from underneath while freediving. Every winter, enormous schools of herring migrate from the open ocean into the fjords of Northern Norway and attract large numbers of big predators such as orcas and humpback whales. Witnessing orcas feeding on herring using the so-called carousel feeding technique is very exciting but not easy to capture due to various factors: limited light and visibility, fast-paced action plus cold surface and water temperature. Being able to freedive and capture the action on an ongoing feeding frenzy in these conditions is difficult but I managed to create a series of photos I had never dreamt of capturing."(Image credit: Andy Schmid /World Nature Photography Awards)Bill Klipp USA : "It was late afternoon in Puerto Egas, Santiago Island, Galapagos and the colorful Sally Light Foot Crabs were returning to the lava-rock-encrusted shoreline. I knew that when a wave came in, the crabs would lock down, holding on tight so they did not get washed away, so I set up my tripod and pre-focused on the rocks setting a very slow shutter speed to blur the moving water while keeping the stationary crab sharp."(Image credit: Bill Klipp /World Nature Photography Awards)

Elise studied marine biology at the University of Portsmouth in the U.K. She has worked as a freelance journalist focusing on the aquatic realm. Elise is working with Live Science through Future Academy, a program to train future journalists on best practices in the field.

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