GINA GOODMAN
Ocean Traveller

A green turtle (Chelonia mydas) moves through a dense aggregation of moon jellies (Aurelia aurita) that has been driven onto the reef by shifting wind and tidal flow. Smacks of this scale create an unusual concentration of gelatinous prey, and the photographer observed several turtles arriving independently to make use of the sudden abundance. The density of the jellies allowed these animals to feed with minimal effort, while smaller reef species gathered beneath the drift to take advantage of the fragments that fell through the water column. Events like this illustrate how a single environmental shift can activate an entire community, drawing species of every size into the same temporary opportunity.

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