23rd Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest Wildlife
Diamond Nekton

Finding another of your species in the vast midnight zone is no small feat, so when they do, diamond squid (Thysanoteuthis rhombus) often form lifelong monogamous pairs, even from a young age. Using scuba to drift in the open ocean at night, a technique known as blackwater diving, is one of the few ways humans can encounter deep-sea animals that migrate from the deep sea after dark. This showy juvenile was photographed flashing its chromatophores in the Gulf Stream off the southeast coast of Florida.

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 05.2025
Date Uploaded: 11.2025
Photo Location: Boynton Beach, Florida, United States of America
Camera: ILCE-7RM3
Copyright: © Gabriel Jensen