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

16th Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest Natural World
Pyrosome

Greek for "fire" and "body", these massive colonies of interconnected tunicates are highly bioluminescent at night, often sustained rather than in pulses. Somewhat rare, these animals drift in warm open oceans. A turtle had just been feeding on this colony, hence the chunks missing.

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 05.2018
Date Uploaded: 11.2018
Photo Location: Mexico
Copyright: © Samantha Schwann