National Geographic photo contest winners and runners up

National Geographic has published its runners-up and winners from this year's international photo contest -- this is some hot stuff. Marilyn suggests starting here, with Jacopo Pandolfini's picture of a monkey in northern India admiring itself in a fragment of stolen mirror.

Now, someone needs to run a National Geographic photo caption contest. Link (Thanks, Marilyn!)

[#1 posted by Antinous , December 4, 2007 10:56 PM]

That picture reminds me not only how much monkeys are like us, but how much we are like monkeys. I think I dated him in the 90s.

[#2 posted by Red Zebra , December 5, 2007 5:11 AM]

The cool thing is that it's not admiring itself - it's looking at the photographer through the mirror (otherwise we wouldn't be able to see its face).

I'll be more impressed though when it learns to use the mirror for shaving.

[#3 posted by BenderForPharoah2008 , December 5, 2007 5:44 AM]

RedZebra beat me to the punch: If you can see the monkey's face in the mirror, the monkey isn't looking at himself, he's looking at the cameraman.

I guess not all bloggers can be as smart as a monkey, LOL! Awesome photo and awesome submission, thanks for the link.

[#4 posted by jeffguevin , December 5, 2007 6:20 AM]

Sorry guys, I think you've been fooled by those bumper stickers on trucks ("If you can can't my mirrors, I can't see you.")--haven't you ever stood next to someone who's looking in the mirror, and you can see them even though they're not actually looking at you? It's quite possible for the monkey to see both itself and other things in the mirror. If anything, the monkey's eye appears to be focused well above and to the side of the camera--to me it appears to be using the mirror to look over its shoulder.

Okay, there was my nitpicky pointless post for today.

[#5 posted by VMOS , December 5, 2007 6:23 AM]

I reckon this monkey was looking at me, although it's not entirely clear from the pic

http://www.flickr.com/photos/vmos/223632592/in/set-72157594197688756/

[#6 posted by kip w , December 5, 2007 8:00 AM]

"Was this the face that flung a thousand shits?"

[#7 posted by monkey , December 5, 2007 8:16 AM]

c'mon, that's the look of someone with something stuck under their contact lens and they can't get it out.

remember, we primates see with two eyes - one near and one far dominant - and they do focus independently to give us depth in vision. it is possible that his left eye is the close vision eye focusing in the mirror to admire his well groomed brows.

also, if someone is looking in a mirror at you, their focus is on you, not the mirror and you can clearly see their gaze is focused on you. ask anyone who has spent time in a dance studio or getting their tresses groomed in a mirror filled salon. so, if the monkey was looking at the person with the camera, his gaze would be focused toward the camera.

so, it's one primate;'s point of view.

[#8 posted by travelina , December 5, 2007 9:45 AM]

"They'll never know the simple joys of a monkey knife fight."

http://www.snpp.com/episodes/BABF08

[#9 posted by ill lich , December 5, 2007 11:21 AM]

"She was right. . . I DO look like a monkey!!