Firefly squid

This illustration was created as part of “Magic Moon Week”, an illustration challenge on Instagram created by illustrators Weronika Salach, Asia Orlando, Debi Hudson, Maggie Stephenson, Olivia Buerki, Myrjam Deruiter and Petra Braun.

The prompt for this illustration was “Renewal”. I was inspired by the firefly squid (Watasenia scintillans), a small bioluminescent squid that lives near the coast of Japan. The females of this species carry on a massive migration to the water surface during the new moon of July to lay their eggs, after which they shortly die. Near Toyama Bay, Japanese fishers catch thousands of squids after they’ve laid eggs to be sold for consumption.