Amazing sea creatures
Click here to watch a visually stunning video about bioluminescent fish and cephalopods (squids, octopus) hosted by oceanographer David Gallo.
Certain underwater animals can respond to changes or threats in their environment by changing their appearance, a behavior that is useful for camouflaging, warding off predators or attracting a mate.
One of the most fascinating examples are deep-sea animals who live an environment with minimal light yet have adapted behaviors that capitalize on their ability to mimic different wavelengths of light.
An article, “Bioluminescent and Red-Fluorescent Lures in a Deep-Sea Siphonophore,” in the journal Science discusses the biology of bioluminescence and research that can provide a better understanding of how light (or lack there of) affects marine ecology.
Some great background information about bioluminescence can be found on this Web site
Filed under Animal Facts, New Research | Comment (0)Bioluminescence has evolved many times in the sea as evidenced by the several distinct chemical mechanisms by which light is emitted, and the large number of only distantly related taxonomic groups that have many bioluminescent memberss.