While other scientists are busy producing glow-in-the-dark pigs and rabbits, it seems like the seas are far ahead of them, as 180 species of glowing fish have been discovered and are raising quite remarkable questions.
A team of researchers from the American Museum of Natural History, along with other organizations published a new study Wednesday (January 8), which they posted in an online journal called PLOS ONE. The research reveals more of what these glowing fish species are and why they glow as such.
Be it green, red or orange, these bioflourescent fish species are known to absorb and transmit blue light to later on emit it as a different color. John Sparks, a curator in the museum's department of Ichthyology says that he and his tem stumble upon an eel glowing green when they were in the Cayman Islands. After seeing that the eel glowed under the blue lights in a photograph they took, the researchers decided to take four more trips around the world to take a deeper look at the underwater lightshow.
"We've long known about biofluorescence underwater in organisms like corals, jellyfish, and even in land animals like butterflies and parrots," Sparks says. While this may be old news to other scientists but quite a breakthrough to the general public, the bigger question is why do these fish glow?
"Many shallow reef inhabitants and fish have the capabilities to detect fluorescent light and may be using biofluorescence in similar fashions to how animals use bioluminescence, such as to find mates and to camouflage," Sparks reports.
As to how other species of fish are able to detect others' glow points out to them having 'yellow filters in their eyes'. The museum explains that these eyes could be "possibly allowing them to see the otherwise hidden fluorescent displays taking place in the water," according to a report by CNN.
While the team have already covered the Caribbean, Bahamas, Pacific and Solomon Islands, more studies will be conducted by Sparks and his team.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
