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)

The picture dated September 19. 2024 shows a female Kingfisher feeding on small fish near Lancaster, UK. Kingfishers need to eat regularly and eat their own bodyweight in food each day. They primarily eat fish, such as minnows, and when they spot a fish they dive headfirst into the water and seize it with their sharp bills. (Photo by Brendan McGee/Bav Media)

A fisherman transports a shark and other fish with his ride to the traditional fish market in Lampulo, Aceh, Indonesia, 12 April 2018. The fishing industry is one of Indonesia's largest economic contributor, with almost half of the country's population working in the sector. (Photo by Hotli Simanjuntak/EPA/EFE)

Debris fly into the air as foreign fishing boats are blown up by Indonesian Navy off Batam Island, Indonesia, Monday, February 22, 2016. Authorities on Monday sank dozens of fishing boats caught operating illegally in Indonesian waters as part of the country's campaign to battle illegal fishing. (Photo by M. Urip/AP Photo)

Fishmongers cut and clean fish at the Soumbedioune fish market in Dakar, Senegal, May 31, 2022. In Senegal, fish and seafood represent more than 40% of the animal protein intake in the diet. According to a U.S. report, one in six people work in the fisheries sector. (Photo by Grace Ekpu/AP Photo)

Fishermen are surrounded by green water as they use large nets to catch fish. The workers were pictured trying to find fish below the algae in Rajshahi, Bangladesh in the last decade of February 2024. (Photo by Bipul Ahmed/Solent News & Photo Agency)

A woman spreads out fish to dry at Ngapali Beach near a fishing village in Myanmar's western Rakhine State, Saturday, December 31, 2022. (Photo by Aung Shine Oo/AP Photo)

A dead fish lies on the bank of Oder River on the German-Polish border, in Brieskow-Finkenheerd, Frankfurt (Oder), Germany, August 11, 2022. Authorities are looking into the cause of the mysterious fish deaths. (Photo by Annegret Hilse/Reuters)