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)

A woman throws olives into a freshly-harvested pile beneath a tree, during the harvest season in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on October 5, 2023. (Photo by Said Khatib/AFP Photo)

A handout photo made available by Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation (BOSF) shows veterinarian wearing protective masks and suit, conducting anesthesia procedure on Nenuah, a nine year old Bornean Orangutan before being transported and released to the Bukit Batikap protection forest, at the Nyaru Menteng Orangutan Rehabilitation Center in Palangkaraya, Central Kalimantan, Indonesia, 15 February 2021. BOSF and the national nature conservation agency (BKSDA) released 10 orangutans back to the wild in Bukit Batikap Protection Forest in Central Kalimantan and the Kehje Sewen Forest in East Kalimantan amid the pandemic according to BOSF. (Photo by BOSF Handout/EPA/EFE)

A helicopter flies in front of the Wolf Moon as it rises over London, England on January 20, 2019. The Wolf Moon, the Full Moon on January 20-21, 2019, is a Supermoon, making it look bigger and brighter than usual during the total lunar eclipse. (Photo by Dinendra Haria/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

A farmer harvests broccoli in the town of al-Ansariyeh south of Sidon, Lebanon March 15, 2016. (Photo by Ali Hashisho/Reuters)

An Afghan girl harvests Cotton buds at a field on the outskirts of Balkh province, Afghanistan, November 15, 2014. (Photo by Sayed Mustafa/EPA)

A picture shows the full moon during a “blood moon” eclipse over the temple of Apollo in Corinth on July 27, 2018. The longest “blood moon” eclipse this century began on July 27, coinciding with Mars' closest approach in 15 years to treat skygazers across the globe to a thrilling celestial spectacle. (Photo by Valerie Gache/AFP Photo)

LAPD chopper flies in a foregraund of the Super Moon in Los Angeles, California on May 05, 2012. Tonight's moon is set to appear 14 percent larger and 30 percent brighter from our perspective on Earth. The Supermoon lines up much closely with perigee – the moon's closest point to Earth. The 2012 May full moon falls some six minutes after perigee, the moon's closest point to Earth for this month. At perigee, the moon lies only 221,802 miles (356,955 kilometers ) away. Later this month, on May 19, the moon will swing out to apogee – its farthest point for the month – at 252,555 miles (406,448 kilometers) distant. (Photo by AFP/File, Joe Klamar)