Hotshots

Sleeping like a Weddell by Ralf Schneider

Highly Commended, Black and White

Hugging its flippers tight to its body, the Weddell seal closed its eyes and appeared to fall into a deep sleep. Lying on fast ice (ice attached to land) off Larsen Harbour, South Georgia, it was relatively safe from its predators – killer whales and leopard seals – and so could completely relax and digest. Weddell seals are the world’s most southerly breeding mammals. Reaching lengths of up to 3.5 metres – with the females somewhat larger than the males – their large bodies are covered in a thick layer of blubber to keep them warm above and below the icy waters.

Shooting from an inflatable boat, Ralf tightly framed the sleeping seal, using the white