Aerial view of a clear and turbid landscape at the intersection of the Sanjiang Estuary during the flood season on July 4, 2023 in Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of China. (Photo by Chen Guanyan/China News Service/VCG via Getty Images)

A girl dives under a wave at Bondi Beach as temperatures reached 29 degrees celsius on December 17, 2020 in Sydney, Australia. The Bureau of Meteorology predicted the arrival of thunderstorms and showers later today with a southerly change bringing possible severe storms around the Sydney region. (Photo by Mark Evans/Getty Images)

United States' Abby Dahlkemper, left, and Netherlands' Lieke Martens fall while fighting for the ball during a women's quarterfinal soccer match at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 30, 2021, in Yokohama, Japan. (Photo by Silvia Izquierdo/AP Photo)

A person dressed up as Spider-Man sits next to the cabs as taxi drivers hold a protest against taxi-hailing apps such as Uber, Cabify and Didi at Angel de la Independencia monument, in Mexico City, Mexico, October 12, 2020. (Photo by Edgard Garrido/Reuters)

UK's Love Island favourite Maura Higgins, 29, was seen wearing a short satin dress as she left Amazonico Restaurant in Mayfair, central London on October 28, 2020. (Photo by Splash News and Pictures)

A couple sits on a swing during stormy weather along a beach by the Mediterranean Sea in Gaza City on December 8, 2021. (Photo by Mahmud Hams/AFP Photo)

The aerial view shows three uprooted trees at a road near Hildesheim, Germany Friday, October 6, 2017. Seven people died Thursday as high winds knocked over trees and caused widespread travel chaos in northern Germany. (Photo by Julian Stratenschulte/DPA via AP Photo)

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)