A photographer’s chilling photo of a close-up of an ant head reveals the insect in terrifying detail. It’s on display for the Nikons Small World Photomicrography Competition. The photo by Lithuanian photographer Eugenijus Kavaliauskas was one of 57 entries for Images of Distinction in Nikon’s competition. Of the 1,300 entries from 72 countries, Mr Kavaliauska’s horror movie-esque ant photo didn’t quite take first place, according to Nikon, but it has caused quite a storm online. Having previously worked as a bird photographer before switching to insects, the Lithuanian website says Mr Kavaliauskas used reflected light to capture the image.
The striking image shows the creature with dark red eyes, long sharp teeth and what appears to be a furious expression on its face. This has led to a huge response from alarmed social media users.
Commenting on the photo, Twitter user Megan Davis wrote, “Maybe people who made horror movies were really just kids with microscopes?”
Another user tweeted: “For the first time in history, the ‘clear photo’ of an ant is released and this is what it looks like – the same insect that roams your house, yard and everywhere!”
In response to an Instagram post with the image, one user wrote: “Thanks for ruining ants. I thought they looked cute. Now I’m terrified.” Another said: “Now imagine a million of these chasing you.”
Mr. Kavaliauskas told Insider that he lives near a forest, which makes it easy for him to go outside and capture the ant with his camera. He said: “But it’s boring to take a picture of an ant running banally on the ground.
“I’m always looking for details, shadows and invisible angles. The main purpose of photography is to be an explorer. I am fascinated by the creator’s masterpieces and the opportunity to see God’s designs.” Speaking of what the ant looked like under the microscope, he said, “There are no terrors in nature”.
The Nikon competition highlights talented photographers recognized for their “excellence in photography through the microscope,” according to CNN. Mr. Kavaliauskas missed first place and the prize went to Michel Milinkovitch and Grigorii Timin.
These photographers captured a stunning fluorescent image of the front leg of a Madagascar giant day gecko embryo, which they captured at 63x magnification to document the tiny veins and bones in the embryo’s hand.
The pair used image stitching to stitch together hundreds of snaps to create the final image of the gecko in spectacular detail. The image shows the nerves in a cyan color and the bones, tendons, ligaments, skin and blood cells in some warmer colors.
Mr. Timin was quoted as saying on Nikon’s website: “This embryonic hand is approximately 3mm (0.12 inch) long, which is a huge sample for high-resolution microscopy.
“The scan consists of 300 tiles, each with about 250 optical sections, resulting in more than two days of acquisition and about 200 GB of data.”
He added: “This particular image is beautiful and informative, as an overview and also when you magnify it in a particular region, shedding light on how the structures are organized at the cellular level.
“The Nikon Small World Competition is a great opportunity to share how impressive nature is at the microscopic level, not only within a scientific community but also with the general public.”
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Nikon said in a press release: “Timin, a masterful combination of imaging technology and artistic creativity, used high-resolution microscopy and image stitching to capture this species of Phelsuma grandis day gecko.
“[With] A visually stunning and painstaking technique, Timin used image stitching to stitch hundreds of images together to create the final image of his gecko.”
Eric Flem, Communications and CRM Manager, Nikon Instruments, said: “Every year Nikon Small World receives a series of microscopic images that demonstrate exemplary scientific technique and artistry. This year was no exception.
“At the intersection of art and science, this year’s competition highlights stunning images from scientists, artists and micrographers of all experience levels and backgrounds from around the world.”