Aerial view of Taxodium Distichum in full blossom at a maze area of a wetland park on January 6, 2023 in Xiamen, Fujian Province of China. (Photo by Wu Wei/VCG via Getty Images)

The tail of a stranded whale is pictured on the beach of De Haan, Belgium on October 25, 2018. (Photo by Francois Lenoi/Reuters)

Fishermen catch fish at Mao'er lake at the start of winter fishing season which is a local custom to welcome the new year on December 29, 2018 in Huaian, Jiangsu Province of China. (Photo by VCG/VCG via Getty Images)

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)

Fans react as they watch HBO's “Game of Thrones” series finale at a viewing party at Brennan's bar in Marina del Rey, California, May 19, 2019. (Photo by Robyn Beck/AFP Photo)

English-French actress Jane Birkin shopping with a basket bag in Paris on June 4, 1970. (Photo by WATFORD/Mirrorpix/Mirrorpix via Getty Images)

A man wearing the traditional Carnival Neapolitan mask of Pulcinella performs on Via Caracciolo avenue in Naples, Italy, Saturday, November 14, 2020. The regions of Campania and Tuscany were designated red zone on Friday, signaling the dire condition of a hospitals struggling with a surge of new admissions. (Photo by Gregorio Borgia/AP Photo)

An actor dressed as Santa Claus and wearing a face mask to protect against coronavirus infection speaks with a boy during the New Year celebration in a shopping mall in St.Petersburg, Russia, Saturday, January 2, 2021. (Photo by Dmitri Lovetsky/AP Photo)