Glowing critter caught on camera for first time ever

By Dean Murray

A glowing quoll in the Tasmanian wilderness, the first documentation of its kind, leads a striking line-up of finalists for the 2025 Beaker Street Science Photography Prize.

Captured by photographer Ben Alldridge using specialized UV-sensitive techniques, the image reveals the Eastern Quoll (Dasyurus viverrinus) biofluorescing in its natural habitat.

While many animals are known to glow under ultraviolet light, this is the first time the phenomenon has been recorded in the wild for this endangered species. The image forms part of ongoing research into the impacts of light pollution on native wildlife.

This remarkable photograph is one of 12 finalist images that will be exhibited at the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery (TMAG) from August 6 to 31 as part of the Beaker Street Festival.

Each image tells a scientific story, spanning microscopic exploration, ecological discovery and rarely seen natural phenomena.

Visitors to the TMAG exhibition will be invited to vote for their favourite image in the People’s Choice category, with winners to be announced at the end of the exhibition.

"This year’s finalists really capture what Beaker Street is all about. Making science visible, beautiful and emotionally resonant," said Festival Founder and Executive Director Dr Margo Adler. "These photographs let us see the world differently, and in some cases quite literally reveal things we’ve never seen before."

From dark sky conservation and photosynthesising sea slugs to auroras, slime moulds and high-speed wildlife drama, this year’s finalists offer a visual reminder of the wonder, complexity and fragility of the world around us.

2025 Beaker Street Science Photography Prize Finalists:

• Ben Alldridge – The Magic Rat and His Slick Machine – The first wild documentation of an Eastern Quoll’s biofluorescence
• Sarah Lloyd – Slime Moulds: Overlooked and Underestimated – Capturing micro-organisms critical to nutrient cycling
• Alison McNeice – PhotosyntheSlug – A sea slug that photosynthesises via kleptoplasty
• David Nolan – Milky Way over Waterworks Reserve – Highlighting the importance of dark sky conservation
• Jordan Cripps – Your Hand in Mine – Aurora Australis over the Tessellated Pavement
• Chelsea Bell – Crystalline Forest – Frost formation on Nothofagus gunnii leaves
• Nicolas Horniblow – Sea Spider – Macrophotography of Tasmania’s Pallenella ambigua
• Kelli Miller – Inner Terrain – Microscopy revealing polymerised protein puddles in blood
• Deon Scanlon – Aerodynamic Attraction – Capturing the wonder of birds in flight
• Rosa Maria Cañedo-Apolaya – Keep Swimming… This is My Spot – Documenting territorial fish behaviour
• Lily Barnett – Lunch Time – A white-bellied sea eagle stealing prey from a fur seal
• Matilda Francis (Under 12) – Liken the Lichen – A young photographer’s close-up of lichen at Mt Field