A sea anemone waves in the current from the underside of an ice glacier. One of the planet's most remarkable creatures is this. Unlike other sea anemones that live on the ocean floor, this recently discovered species thrives by being embedded in ice.
The first detailed image of the species will be revealed this week at the Natural History Museum in London, as part of a series that won the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition.
The chair of the judging panel said that there was a jewel box of images collected together. This underwater portfolio is amazing.
Ballesta, who is based in France, spent the past two years planning his expedition to the South Pole. He described the process of diving under the ice as akin to diving into a cave but with a better chance of getting lost.
The portfolio shows the amazing diversity of life that exists in the waters of the South Pole.
Ballesta's photographs include one of a possible new species of dragonfish surrounded by a wide variety of underwater life forms including creatures called brittle stars. It was difficult to take this image.
Ballesta said it was one of the hardest dives he had ever done. After taking his pictures, he had to endure hours of cold in order to get back to the surface.
Many species are affected by a phenomenon known as polar gigantism, which causes them to evolve larger bodies than related species. One example is illustrated by a picture of a giant sea spider, but it is not a spider.
There are many pycnogonids across the globe, but they are usually very small. They grow to the size of dinner plates in the southern part of the world. Their internal organs develop inside their legs and they feed on soft-bodied invertebrates through a long proboscis.
The helmetJellyfish has a bell-shaped dome that it uses to grasp and reel in its prey, such as krill, and it can emit blue light flashes to warn off predators.
The most satisfying image of the Biologist's portfolio was the image of Edwardsiella andrillae. Ballesta was exhausted, cold and desperate for a distraction from his pain when he came across a field of sea anemones on the ice. Taking their photographs provided distraction from the pain he was going through while also showing the wonders that can be found in the sea.
This latter point is stressed by the wildlife photographer Jen Guyton, one of the jury members who awarded this year's portfolio prize to Ballesta: "These photographs are a reminder that our oceans are still full of discoveries to be made and surprises to be found and that they need to be
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