Noam Kortler's Image

A decorator crab perches on top of a sea squirt to comb the water for drifting plankton.

Noam took this photograph during a night dive off Komodo island, Indonesia.

The sea squirt provided the crab with the perfect stage to feed on drifting plankton.

The crab had camouflaged and armed itself with tiny hydroids known as Tubularia. These can sting other animals and so helped protect the crab from predators.

Noam watched the crab gracefully search for food, illuminated by the camera flash as if in a spotlight centre stage.