Not a scene from a horror movie...a shocking image shows the face of an ant up close

Dubai, United Arab Emirates - This photo doesn't show one of the new creatures from HBO's "House of the Dragon" series or a scene from a horror movie, but rather a close-up of an ant. The eye-catching image is one of 57 featured images participating in Nikon's Small World Photomicrography Competition.

Lithuanian photographer, Eugenius Kavaliauskas, captured this terrifying photo. This is the 48th year of the competition, which seeks to “recognize excellence in microscope photography,” according to a press release shared with Ofoq News.

The 2022 competition received about 1,300 entries from 72 countries, according to Nikon. Kavaliauskas previously worked as a bird photographer before turning to the world of insects, according to his website.

The photographer used reflected light to capture a shocking close-up of the ant, with its red eyes and angry facial features. Although the photo received widespread attention online, Kavaliauskas did not receive the grand prize in the competition.

Swedish photographers Gregory Temin and Michiel Milenkovic took home the grand prize for their fluorescent image showing the front claw of a Madagascar giant day gecko fetus. The scene was magnified 63 times to document the small bones and veins of the hand.