Loading...
Done
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)

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)
Details
08 Mar 2017 00:05:00
A monarch butterfly rests on the ground at the Sierra Chincua butterfly sanctuary on a mountain in Angangeo, Michoacan November 24, 2016. Angangueo is a town and municipality located in far eastern Michoacán state in central Mexico noted for its history of mining and its location in the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve. The Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve is a World Heritage Site containing most of the over-wintering sites of the eastern population of the monarch butterfly. The reserve is located in the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt pine-oak forests ecoregion on the border of Michoacán and State of Mexico, 100 km (62 miles), northwest of Mexico City. Millions of butterflies arrive in the reserve annually. Butterflies only inhabit a fraction of the 56,000 hectares of the reserve from October–March. (Photo by Carlos Jasso/Reuters)

A monarch butterfly rests on the ground at the Sierra Chincua butterfly sanctuary on a mountain in Angangeo, Michoacan November 24, 2016. Angangueo is a town and municipality located in far eastern Michoacán state in central Mexico noted for its history of mining and its location in the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve. The Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve is a World Heritage Site containing most of the over-wintering sites of the eastern population of the monarch butterfly. (Photo by Carlos Jasso/Reuters)
Details
26 Nov 2016 10:20:00
Revellers take part in an annual block party before Carnival in downtown Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, January 16, 2016. The Rio de Janeiro Carnival will be held from February 5 to February 9. (Photo by Pilar Olivares/Reuters)

Revellers take part in an annual block party before Carnival in downtown Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, January 16, 2016. The Rio de Janeiro Carnival will be held from February 5 to February 9. (Photo by Pilar Olivares/Reuters)
Details
19 Jan 2016 08:04:00
The team from France performs their Free Routine during the Synchronized Swimming Olympic Games Qualification Tournament at the Maria Lenk Aquatics Center in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on March 6, 2016. (Photo by Sergio Moraes/Reuters)

The team from France performs their Free Routine during the Synchronized Swimming Olympic Games Qualification Tournament at the Maria Lenk Aquatics Center in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on March 6, 2016. The tournament is also a test event for the Rio 2016 Olympics. (Photo by Sergio Moraes/Reuters)
Details
07 Mar 2016 11:23:00
Bridegrooms pose for a photograph as they attend a mass wedding ceremony at Arena Corinthians soccer stadium in Sao Paulo, Brazil, September 26, 2015. (Photo by Paulo Whitaker/Reuters)

Bridegrooms pose for a photograph as they attend a mass wedding ceremony at Arena Corinthians soccer stadium in Sao Paulo, Brazil, September 26, 2015. According to the event's organizers, at least 400 couples tied the knot during a mass wedding which was organized by the Department of Justice and Citizenship of the state of Sao Paulo. (Photo by Paulo Whitaker/Reuters)
Details
29 Sep 2015 08:01:00
Veterinarian William Guerra Neto (2nd R) and an assistant take measurements of two Amazonian manatees who are being rehabilitated after sustaining injuries from hunting and fishing nets at the Center of Amazonian Manatees at Amana Lake in Maraa, Amazonas state, Brazil, September 21, 2015. (Photo by Bruno Kelly/Reuters)

Veterinarian William Guerra Neto (2nd R) and an assistant take measurements of two Amazonian manatees who are being rehabilitated after sustaining injuries from hunting and fishing nets at the Center of Amazonian Manatees at Amana Lake in Maraa, Amazonas state, Brazil, September 21, 2015. (Photo by Bruno Kelly/Reuters)
Details
30 Sep 2015 08:05:00
Claudionor Jose de Deus, wearing a Santa Claus costume, arrives at Santa Rosa community to distribute presents to children, on the shores of the Amazon River in rural Manaus, Brazil, December 19, 2015. (Photo by Bruno Kelly/Reuters)

Claudionor Jose de Deus, wearing a Santa Claus costume, arrives at Santa Rosa community to distribute presents to children, on the shores of the Amazon River in rural Manaus, Brazil, December 19, 2015. Jose de Deus is part of a volunteer group that distributes toys to children from poor neighborhoods and riverside communities that are distant from the city. (Photo by Bruno Kelly/Reuters)
Details
22 Dec 2015 08:02:00
Christian pilgrims from Brazil embrace after they are baptized in the water of the Jordan River during a ceremony at the Yardenit baptismal site near the northern Israeli city of Tiberias October 15, 2014. (Photo by Finbarr O'Reilly/Reuters)

Christian pilgrims from Brazil embrace after they are baptized in the water of the Jordan River during a ceremony at the Yardenit baptismal site near the northern Israeli city of Tiberias October 15, 2014. (Photo by Finbarr O'Reilly/Reuters)
Details
16 Oct 2014 12:54:00