This is a male Leiaster leachi sea star broadcasting sperm into murky water in a shallow bay. Other nearby sea stars were broadcasting sperm and eggs into the water in synchrony, though the they were not within visual distance of one another. Over the course of an hour or more, the sea star swayed and twirled as it released streams of sperm—a five-limbed dancer gyrating to a silent, timeless rhythm of life. This individual was between 40cm and 45cm in diameter. Photographed in Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan.

Foto: © Agorastos Papatsanis, Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Foto: © Anand Nambiar, Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Foto: © Brent Stirton, Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Foto: © Daniel Mideros, Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Foto: © Daniel Núnez, Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Foto: © Dmitry Kokh, Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Foto: © Ekaterina Bee, Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Foto: © Fernando Constantino Martínez Belmar (1), Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Foto: © José Juan Hernández Martinez, Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Foto: © Karine Aigner (2), Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Foto: © Katanyou Wuttichaitanakorn, Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Foto: © Laurent Ballesta, Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Foto: © Mateusz Piesiak, Wildlife Photographer of the Year