Members of Wonderfam CausePlay pose for a group photo at Buttercup Sand Dunes on January 15, 2022 in Winterhaven, California. Buttercup San Dunes was the location of several iconic scenes filmed for Star Wars: Return of the Jedi. (Photo by Daniel Knighton/Getty Images)

In this March 3, 2015 photo, a group of California sea lions rest on a large bouy in the San Ignacio lagoon, in the Pacific Ocean, near Guerrero Negro, in Mexico's Baja California peninsula. (Photo by Dario Lopez-Mills/AP Photo)

A dog waits to be blessed by a priest outside San Anton Church in Mijas, near Malaga, Spain, January 17, 2017. Hundreds of pet owners bring their animals to be blessed every year on the day of Saint Anthony, Spain's patron saint of animals. (Photo by Jon Nazca/Reuters)

A general view shows a column of steam emerging from Popocatepetl volcano, after an increase in volcanic activity with steam and ash eruptions have been registered recently, according to local media, as seen from San Andres Cholula municipality, in the state of Puebla, Mexico on February 1, 2023. (Photo by Henry Romero/Reuters)

Heidi Klum and Bar Rafaeli attend the amfAR New York Gala 2019 at Cipriani Wall Street on February 6, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/amfAR/Getty Images)

Katie Austin (L) and Denise Austin attend the 2019 ESPY Awards at Microsoft Theater on July 10, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Chelsea Lauren/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

Megan Barton-Hanson attending the ITV Summer Party 2019 at Nobu Shoreditch in London, England on July 17, 2019 holding hands with Demi Sims. (Photo by SOPA Images 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)