Resting Predator, Restless Guests

Photographer

Hongjin Li

Category

New York Photography - Wildlife

Company

New York University

Submission Group

Student

Year

2025

Country / Region:

United States

This photo was taken on January 12, 2025, in Bocas del Toro, Panama. I was walking along the edge of a rainforest lake when my local indigenous guide suddenly pointed into the distance and said, “There’s a caiman over there.” I looked in that direction and saw what appeared to be a floating coconut on the water. It wasn’t until I aimed my telephoto lens that I realized it was actually a juvenile caiman. What amazed me most, though, were the two metallic green flies resting on its head—a striking scene where wildness and delicacy coexist, full of contrast and tension.