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)

In this picture taken on Sunday, March 5, 2017, a Tehran's urban animal control worker catches a stray dog after being shot with his anesthetic dart on the outskirts of the capital Tehran, Iran. The shelter has been hired by the Tehran city government to take a new, more humane approach to deal with the burgeoning problem of stray dogs in the capital. It’s a sign of changing attitudes among officials in a country where Islamic authorities long saw dogs as “un-Islamic” and would at times confiscate them from people who kept them as pets. (Photo by Vahid Salemi/AP Photo)

Afghan internally-displaced girls plays with dolls near their tents at Shaidayee refugee camp in Injil district of Herat province on February 20, 2022. (Photo by Wakil Kohsar/AFP Photo)

This is the moment a lamb appears to be doing kung fu as it plays with its friends in a field overlooking Kimmeridge Bay in Dorset on April 11, 2022. (Photo by Donna White/Bournemouth News)

England's Chloe Kelly, right, celebrates with Jill Scott after scoring her side's second goal during the Women's Euro 2022 final soccer match between England and Germany at Wembley stadium in London, Sunday, July 31, 2022. (Photo by Rui Vieira/AP Photo)

Supporters of US President Donald Trump rally in front of a poll station at Coral Gable Branch Public Library in Miami, Florida on November 3, 2020. (Photo by Eva Marie Uzcategui/AFP Photo)

People enjoy spring break festivities ahead of an 8pm curfew imposed by local authorities, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, in Miami Beach, Florida, U.S., March 27, 2021. (Photo by Marco Bello/Reuters)

American singer, rapper and actress Janelle Monáe poses during the 2022 Outfest Legacy Awards presented by IMDb and Genesis in Los Angeles on October 22, 2022. (Photo by Chelsea Lauren/Rex Features/Shutterstock for Outfest)