Loving Earth through lenses

Photo and video competition utilizes outstanding wildlife images to urge scientific answers and better environmental protection, Yang Feiyue reports.

In the crystal-clear waters of Indonesia's Lembeh Strait, a male jawfish performs one of nature's most touching parental duties — tenderly clutching nearly transparent eggs in his mouth.

The soon-to-hatch eggs reveal tiny embryos, their developing eyes visible through the translucent membranes.

"The jawfish is a small but strikingly colorful marine creature, typically measuring 10-20 centimeters in length. These tropical dwellers favor coral reef environments, where they burrow into sandy substrates or coral debris," says Chen Yihuan, producer of the China Wildlife Image and Video Competition, which kicked off its sixth edition in Foshan, South China's Guangdong province, last month.