Louise Nott, A mother's watchful eye (ANIMAL 2021)

After mating, the female octopus finds a suitable den to lay her fertilised eggs, tucking herself into a crevice. She then will spend the rest of her life meticulously caring for her brood, marking the beginning of the end. She will not eat and will do anything to protect them from predators. Her festoons of eggs are attached to the top of a rock crevice and the new mother will continuously pump water to oxygenate and clean them. After months of care, the planktonic young emerge from the safety of their mother's watch, ready to explore the big blue.

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.