With its huge eyes, comical name and diminutive size, Mark R. Smith’s image of a baby Hawaiian bobtail squid can’t help but raise a smile. A curiously endearing creature, the cephalopod is just 1.5cm across, its mantle cavity bearing more than a passing resemblance to a rather natty shower cap. But it is also a beautiful example of symbiosis – nature’s version of “I’ll scratch your back if you scratch mine” – for on the underside of the squid is a light organ which houses bioluminescent bacteria. The squid offers the bacteria protection and food, while the bacteria emit a glow – a handy trait that the squid uses to offset its silhouette, helping it to evade predators in the depths below. Mark R. Smith’s entry combines several images of a Hawaiian bobtail squid with different focus lengths to create a final picture with greater depth of field than normal. (Photo by Mark R. Smith/Wellcome Images/Macroscopic Solutions)

The Canary Wharf financial district stands in London, Britain on August 11, 2019. (Photo by Simon Dawson/Reuters)

The trees on the iconic local landmark are silhouetted against glorious sunrise colours on a misty morning near Colmers Hill in Dorset, England on May 1, 2019. (Photo by Celia McMahon/Alamy Live News)

Afghan resistance movement and anti-Taliban uprising forces take part in a military training in Panjshir province on August 30, 2021. (Photo by Ahmad Sahel Arman/AFP Photo)

“Jet Man” Richard Browning demonstrating Gravity, a human jet suit system, at the opening of the Army's Personnel Conference held at Farnborough International Conference Centre, Farnborough, Hampshire on Tuesday, November 2, 2021. (Photo by Steve Parsons/PA Images via Getty Images)

An artwork by artist Chavis Marmol, a Tesla 3 car crushed by a nine-ton Olmec-inspired head, is pictured in Mexico City on March 13, 2024. (Photo by Carl de Souza/AFP Photo)

The winners of the Historic Photographer of the Year Awards 2020 from triphistoric.com celebrate the places and cultural sites around the world that offer a window to the history that exists all around us. This year, restricted by Covid, photographers were called on to scour their photographic archive to share their imagery of those places that dominate our past. Here: The Brighton Palace Pier. (Photo by Michael Marsh/Historic Photographer of the Year 2020)

An Okinawan woman in a kimono checks her phone before attending a ceremony on Coming of Age Day on January 13, 2019 in Okinawa City, Japan. Coming of Age Day is a Japanese holiday held every January to celebrate people who have reached 20 – the official age of adulthood in Japan. Despite being a solemn affair in some parts of Japan, Okinawans have become known for their flamboyant and occasionally boisterous celebrations. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images)