A juvenile argonaut – part of the octopus family – rides atop a small jellyfish. It might have been seeking protection from predators, or perhaps hoping for an easy meal by sucking food from its host’s stomach. Drawn to the bright colour of the jellyfish, it was not until Wayne moved closer that he spotted the hitchhiker, ‘a most-welcome bonus’.
Argonauts are commonly known as paper nautiluses because of the paper-thin egg case that females secrete, which looks like a nautilus shell. Male argonauts are 10 times smaller than females and have a modified arm that contains their sperm. During mating this arm breaks off and is deposited in the female’s body to fertilise her eggs.
Australia
Wayne was born in the small coastal city of Albany, western Australia. His schooling introduced him to diving and photography. After a long hiatus he found himself in the Philippines, where he rekindled his passion for the underwater world. With his partner he now runs the Anilao Photo Academy, which strives for creativity and excellence in underwater photography.
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