As part of The Royal Societies’ 350th anniversary, never-before-seen, super close up colour images of tiny sea creatures are going on display at London Zoo. The amazing images of these creatures are to feature in a book by Royal Society Research Fellow Dr Richard Kirby of the University of Plymouth.

The full range of Dr Kirby’s photographs will go on display from the 16th of February till the end of the year.

Plankton are crucial to the ocean and its environment as they provide an abundant source of food for larger and more familiar aquatic organisms such as fish. This is especially important for fish larvae as they switch from their egg sacks to external feeding, as the abundance and minute size of the plankton, make even the weakest larvae able to feed on them, increasing their survival chances dramatically.

Currently, concern has been raised in the marine biology community over the man-made effects on dwindling plankton populations in certain risk areas.

Image courtesy of Richard Kirby.