Just below the city of London in a grimy subway station, two mice had an altercation over some scattered food crumbs.
The interaction was short-lived — only lasting about a second, in fact — but that was enough time for Sam Rowley to snap a photo he later titled “Station Squabble.”
In the photo, two mice are in focus. One is towering over the other, seemingly pushing its smaller opponent to the concrete.
The Bristol-based photographer spent five nights in the London metro system before he captured the brief yet mesmerizing brawl between the mice.
Rowley won the Wildlife Photographer of the Year LUMIX People’s Choice Award for his masterful work in “Station Squabble.” His photo was up against 48,000 others.
Though Rowley can confirm the mice were mid-duel when he snapped the photo, the mind can’t help but wonder. Are the two mice rendezvousing for a quick tango in the subway before parting ways? Are they re-enacting a Shakespearean tragedy?
Regardless, Rowley’s award is well-deserved. His other work captures the likes of a bird with a freshly-pecked spider in its beak to a hyena crossing a road in the night.
