A meal of a worm - David Maitland - Wildlife Photographer of the Year2007

2007 Animal Behaviour: All Other Animals - Highly Commended

David Maitland Click to enlarge A meal of a worm

David Maitland (United Kingdom)

A meal of a worm

'I was photographing a year in the life of a pond at my children's school, when I noticed common frogs eating earthworms. We see frogs in our gardens, but we rarely see them feeding. The frog wrestled its prey into position, then waited for the worm to reach its stomach before sealing shut its mouth. I think the shot captures the character of a frog.' European common frogs are usually brown, but can be green or even orange and pink (albino). They are widespread in moist areas near ponds and marshes in Europe. They feed by flipping their long tongues out at insects, snails, slugs and worms. Tadpoles feed on algae, water plants and dead animals at the bottom of ponds.

Canon EOS 1Ds + MP-E 65mm macro lens; 1/1000 sec at f8; ISO 100; macro twin flash.