Smithsonian magazine's 22nd Annual Photo Contest | Made possible through the support of MPB.com

17th Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest Natural World
Coral close-up

A close-up of a coral expanding its feeding tentacles at night. Although most stony corals rely on photosynthesis as their primary nutrition source, at night, they "open up" and prey upon tiny creatures drifting with the currents (generally called 'plankton').

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 07.2019
Date Uploaded: 11.2019
Photo Location: Eilat, Israel
Camera: ILCE-7RM3
Copyright: © Tom Shlesinger