Queer Nature Photography Awards
"Nudibranchs"
Emilio Mancuso
"Nudibranchs"
Mother nature never judges, it simply adapts the most effective strategies to make species survive. A great example are nudibranchs, marine sea slugs that, being very slow, have evolved an effective reproduction strategy: they are simultaneous hermaphrodites. So every time two nudibranchs of the same species meet during the reproductive period, each of them will fertilize and be fertilized at the same time. In the image we can see a couple of Hypselodoris bollocki positioning themselves "head-to-toe" to be able to mate, this is because the gonopodium - the reproductive system of nudibranchs - is positioned on the right side of the animal.
About the Photographer
Name: Emilio Mancuso
Age: 45
Nationality: Italian
How does your identity influence your work?
I always try to do the best i can to make my skills and experiences in marine biology influceces my work as wildlife photographer, and not my identity, I believe science works this way, I would like every kind of work "works this way"
What message do you hope to convey with your work about the intersection of queerness and biodiversity in nature?
Nature doesn' t judge, evolution doesn't, biodiversity is queer "by nature" cause everything that can help a specie to hold on is simply part of a certain ecosystem...we still have a lot to learn.
What do you think is the importance of highlighting diversity in both nature and society, and how can photography play a role in this?
We still need to work a lot, to educate a lot, to make everyone undestand the kyepoint of RESILIENCE is the diversity, as biodiversity for nature' resilience, diversity is the keypoint for society' resilience
What is your favorite example of queerness in nature?
Sexual adaptive strategies of many marine animal looks like the "play with identity" just to solve evulutionary matters in the most efficient way
A note from the Narwhal Rainbow Alliance
Some Nudibranchs also exemplify queerness through a unique mating behavior known as penis fencing. Here two individuals are competing for their reproductive roles by attempting to stab each other with their penises. The one that wins typically assumes the male role, while the other becomes female, highlighting their simultaneous hermaphroditism and fluid gender roles. Nudibranchs exhibit high biodiversity, with thousands of species adapted to various marine habitats. However, they face significant threats from habitat degradation, climate change, and changes in food availability. While some species remain abundant, many lack sufficient data for proper conservation assessment.
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