Judging the Through Your Lens photo contest is one of our favorite parts of the year at Scuba Diving — but it’s also one of the most challenging. For the 2017 contest, we sifted through more than 2,500 awesome entries to find the best of the best in underwater photography. We wanted to highlight some of our favorite images that didn’t make the winner’s circle, but that blew us away nonetheless. Animal behavior photos capture the intricacies of marine interaction in ways that are seldom seen. Here are our favorite behavior shots from the 2017 contest.

See the 2017 winners here. The 2018 Through Your Lens photo contest is currently accepting entries. Learn more about the image categories and prizes here.

Cleaner shrimp and moray eels have a mutualistic relationship, meaning both species benefit from their interactions. The shrimp clean parasites and algaes off the eels while getting a free meal — everyone wins!

Male cardinal fish are mouthbrooders, meaning they incubate their babies by carrying them in their mouths for weeks.

Porcelain anemone crabs have a mutualistic relationship with anemones — the crabs chase predators away from the anemones, and the anemones provide shelter for the crabs.

In early spring, the lumpsucker toads come to shallow water in the Oosterschelde, Netherlands, to mate.

Painted frogfish use their lures to attract prey. If bitten off the lure will grow back.

Coral grouper are another species that has a mutualistic relationship with cleaner shrimp.

Emperor shrimp can be found on several species of nudibranchs. Their mutualistic relationship benefits the nudibranch by shrimp offering protection from predators, and the shrimp by eating parasites on the nudibranchs.

There is nowhere safer for this yellowhead jawfish's babies than in his mouth!

Shrimp and eels benefit from each other mutualistically.

This fish has a parasite on its head and, if you look closely, you’ll see it also has eggs in its mouth.

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