22nd Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest Natural World
Magic Wands
Phyllodesmium iriomotense, a solar-powered nudibranch, glows with iridescence as it wields its golden cerata. This sea slug ingests algae and stores the chloroplasts in its cerata, using the algae's photosynthesis for energy. The algae live on happily in their living "greenhouse"!
Photo Detail
Date Taken: | 09.2024 |
Date Uploaded: | 12.2024 |
Photo Location: | n/a, Indonesia |
Camera: | NIKON D850 |
Copyright: | © JillAnne McCarty |