Benjamin Alldridge, The Magic Rat & His Slick Machine (ANIMAL 2025)

The Eastern quoll (Dasyurus viverrinus) is an enigmatic marsupial no larger than a cat, and yet counts itself as one of Tasmania's most veracious carnivores. While they would generally prefer to run than fight, their sharp claws and specialised teeth are supported by ounce for ounce the strongest bite strength of any animal. Unfortunately, as habitats shrink and anthropogenic pressures arrive, the so-called "native cat" is an unwitting casualty in a seemingly unwinnable war. They have already disappeared from their former native range of Australia's mainland, and Tasmania threatens to be next. This is believed to be the first biofluorescence documented in the species in a wild setting. This is the process where a living organism responds to light of a specific wavelength - in this case the near UV. What a surreal experience to have a small group of them hang out for hours.

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.