The depths of the oceans and seas are inhabited by many amazing living creatures, among which there is a real miracle of nature. These are deep-sea, which are equipped unique organs- photophores. These special lantern glands can be located in different places: on the head, around the mouth or eyes, on the antennae, on the back, on the sides or on the processes of the body. The photophores are filled with mucus with glowing bioluminescent bacteria.

deep sea glowing fish

It is worth noting that glowing fish is able to control the glow of bacteria by itself, expanding or constricting blood vessels, tk. Flashes of light require oxygen.

One of the most interesting representatives glowing fish are deep-sea anglerfish that live at a depth of about 3000 meters.

In the arsenal of females, reaching a meter in length, there is a special rod with a "bait-beacon" at its end, which attracts prey to it. Highly interesting view is the bottom galateatauma (lat.Galatheathauma axeli), which is equipped with a light "bait" right in the mouth. She does not "trouble" herself with hunting, because it is enough for her to take a comfortable position, open her mouth and swallow the "naive" prey.

Anglerfish (lat. Ceratioidei)

Another interesting representative, glowing fish is a black dragon (lat. Malacosteus niger). She emits red light with the help of special "spotlights" that are located under her eyes. For the deep-sea inhabitants of the ocean, this light is invisible, and the black dragon fish illuminates its path, while remaining unnoticed.

Those representatives of deep-sea fish that have specific organs of luminescence, telescopic eyes, etc., are true deep sea fish, they should not be confused with the deep-sea shelf, which do not have such adaptive organs and live on the continental slope.

Black dragon (Latin Malacosteus niger)

Known since glowing fish:

lantern-eyed (lat. Anomalopidae)

luminous anchovies, or miktofovye (lat. Myctophidae)

anglerfish (lat. Ceratioidei)

Brazilian luminous (cigar) sharks (lat. Isistius Brasiliensis)

gonostoma (lat. Gonostomatidae)

chauliodnye (lat. Chauliodontidae)

Luminous anchovies are small fish with a laterally compressed body, a large head and a very large mouth. The length of their body, depending on the species, is from 2.5 to 25 cm. They have special luminous organs that emit green, blue, or yellowish light, which is formed due to chemical reactions occurring in photocytic cells.

Glowing anchovies (Latin Myctophidae)

They are widely distributed throughout the oceans. Many species of myctophids have a huge number. The Myctophidae, together with the Photihthidae and Gonostomas, account for up to 90% of the population of all known deep-sea fishes.

Gonostoma (lat. Gonostomatidae)

The life of these deep-sea elusive representatives marine fauna, carefully hidden from prying eyes, so it flows at a depth of 1000 to 6000 meters. And since the World Ocean, according to scientists, has been studied by less than 5%, humanity is still waiting for a lot of amazing discoveries, among them, perhaps, there will be new types of deep-sea glowing fish.

And with other, no less interesting creatures that inhabit the depths of the sea, you will be introduced to these articles:

Ercinia- Latin name birds of the hercynian forest whose feathers glow at nightis Latin name variant of Hercinia, bird of Hercynian forest in Germany with feathers which shine at nightLatin name for the bird of the Hercynian forest, whose feathers glow at night

Hercynia- is Latin name variant of Hercinia, bird of Hercynian forest in Germany with feathers which shine at nightLatin name for the bird of the Hercynian forest, whose feathers glow at nightis Latin name variant of Hercinia, bird of Hercynian forest in Germany with feathers which shine at nightLatin name for the bird of the Hercynian forest, whose feathers glow at night

This legend was started by Pliny the Elder in short message in book 10 of his Natural History:

In the Hercynian Forest in Germany, we were told, there are strange birds whose feathers glow like fire at night.

Pliny the Elder "Natural History" X. LXVII. 132

Gaius Julius Solinus in the 3rd century AD enlarged this description to a whole story. It turns out that in the dark Hercynian Forest (for more details on the forest, see the article "Achlis"), everyone is not only used to this wonderful bird, but also, having pulled feathers from it, use their features for night travel:

In the Hercynian forest there are birds whose plumage glows in the dark and gives light that disperses the night that reigns in the thicket. So locals they try to direct their nightly sorties in such a way that they can navigate in this light. They also find their way by throwing glittering feathers into the darkness ahead of them.

Solin "Collection of sights", 20, 6-7

Isidore of Seville repeated Solin's information, but with the exception that travelers walking through the Germanic forest at night do not now throw feathers in front of them; now the birds themselves fly ahead of the walker and illuminate his path with their shining wings. Isidore names the birds ercinia (Hercyniae) and derives this name from the Hercynian forest (Hercynio) - a name coined, perhaps, by Isidore himself.

Over time, these birds got into the set of messages that medieval bestiaries absorbed from the Etymologies. In the bestiaries of the Second Family, the bird ercinia- an ordinary guest, but no additional features bestiaries were not added to this bird, dutifully and almost verbatim repeating Isidore.

In the "Cosmography" of the Istrian Ethics (7th century), these birds suddenly changed their localization and turned out to be inhabitants not of the Hercynian forest, but of the Hyrcanian forest in the Caspian region. In the Ethicus, the Hyrcanian forest looks out of place, since before that he describes the northern regions. Most likely, it was a common mistake, but it paid off and whole line medieval authors places these birds in the regions near the Caspian Sea.

A curious stage in the development of the legend of luminous birds was recorded by Hugh of Saint-Victor, describing big map peace of Ebstforsko - type in 1030-1035. In space along northern ocean, between the Danube and this ocean, "Hugo, in particular, saw a certain cape inhabited by gelons, which are covered with the skin of enemies, then Goths, cynocephals, and then the Khazars, Gazari, and" a horse forest with luminous birds ", saltus equinus, habens aves fulgore perspicvas (the definition of "horse", eqinus - apparently corrupted by Hercinus.

Chekin, L.S. "Cartography of the Christian Middle Ages. VIII-XIII centuries."

Honorius of Augustodon in the 12th century goes even further and, from the entirely invented "Hircanian forest", produces the entire region of Hyrcania, and places Hyrcania itself to the west of Bactria:

Here begins Hyrcania, named after the Hyrcanian Forest, where there are birds whose feathers glow at night.

Honorius of Augustodon "On the Image of the World", I.XIX

There is a hypothesis that the bright plumage of the waxwing tail could give rise to this legend.

For the first time these birds were mentioned by Pliny the Elder(23-79 AD):

In Hercynio Germaniae saltu invisitata genera alitum accepimus, quarum plumae ignium modo conluceant noctibus.

Gaius Plinius Secundus "Naturalis Historia", VIII.123-124

We have been told of strange kinds of birds in the Hercynian Forest of Germany whose feathers shine like fires at night-time.

In 3 century A.D. Solin enlarged this brief account to a whole story:

Saltus Hercynius aves gignit, quarum pennae per obscurum emicant et interlucent, quamvis obtenta nox denset tenebras. unde homines loci illius plerumque nocturnos excursus sic destinant, ut illis utantur ad praesidium itineris dirigendi, praeiactisque per opaca callium ratiom viae moderentur indicio plumarum refulgentium.

Cajus Julius Solinus "Collectanea rerum memorabilium", 20, 3

The Forrest of Hertswald bréedeth byrds, whose feathers shyne and giue light in the darke, though the night be never so close and clowdy. And therefore men of that Countrey, doo for the most parte so laye theyr outgoings by night, that they may vse thē for a helpe to direct theyr journey by: and casting them before them in ye open pathes, doo finde howe to kéepe theyr way by the glystring of those feathers, which shewe them which way to goe.

The excellent and pleasant worke of Iulius Solinus Polyhistor...

Isidore of Seville repeated all written by Solin except of traveler "s modus operandi with feathers of this bird. Name Hercynia first time also appears in "Etymologies".

Bioluminescence (translated from Greek "bios" - life, and Latin "lumen" - light) is the ability of living organisms to emit light. This is one of the most amazing phenomena. It does not occur very often in nature. What does it look like? Let's watch:

10 Glowing Plankton

Photo 10. Glowing plankton, Maldives

Glowing plankton in Gippsland Lake, Australia. This glow is nothing but bioluminescence - chemical processes in the body of animals, in which the released energy is released in the form of light. Amazing in its nature, the phenomenon of bioluminescence, was lucky not only to see, but also to photograph the photographer Phil Hart (Phil Hart).

9 Glowing Mushrooms

The photo shows Panellus stipticus. One of the few mushrooms with bioluminescence. This type of mushroom is quite common in Asia, Australia, Europe and North America. Grows in groups on logs, stumps and trunks deciduous trees especially on oaks, beeches and birches.

8. Scorpio

The photo shows a scorpion glowing under ultraviolet light. Scorpions do not emit their own light, but they glow under an invisible neon light beam. The thing is that in the outer skeleton of a scorpion there is a substance that just emits its light under ultraviolet radiation.

7. Glowworms Waitomo Caves, New Zealand

Luminous mosquito larvae live in Waitomo Cave in New Zealand. They cover the ceiling of the cave. These larvae leave strands of glowing slime, up to 70 per worm. This helps them to catch flies and midges that they feed on. In some species, such threads are poisonous!

6 Glowing Jellyfish, Japan

Photo 6. Glowing jellyfish, Japan

An amazing sight could be seen in Toyama Bay in Japan - thousands of jellyfish washed up on the shore of the bay. And these jellyfish live on great depths, and during the breeding season rise to the surface. At that moment, they were brought in huge numbers to land. Outwardly, this picture is very reminiscent of luminous plankton! But these are two completely different things.

5. Luminous mushrooms (Mycena lux-coeli)

What you see here are glowing Mycena lux-coeli mushrooms. They grow in Japan during the rainy season on fallen Chinquapin trees. These mushrooms give off light thanks to a substance called luciferin, which oxidizes and gives off this intense greenish-white glow. It is very funny that, in Latin, Luciferu means “the light of the giver.” Who would know! These mushrooms live for only a few days, and die when the rains end.

4. Glow of the ostracod Cypridina hilgendorfii, Japan

Cypridina hilgendorfii - this is the name of the shell ostriches, tiny (for the most part no more than 1-2 mm), transparent organisms living in coastal waters and the sands of Japan. They glow thanks to the substance luciferin.

An interesting fact is that during the Second World War, the Japanese collected these crustaceans in order to obtain light at night. After wetting these organisms in water, they begin to glow again.

3. Glowing fireflies

Photo 3. Long exposure photo of fireflies

This is what the habitats of fireflies look like, taken at a slow shutter speed. Fireflies flash to attract the attention of the opposite sex.

2. Luminous bacteria

Glowing bacteria - amazing a natural phenomenon. Light in bacteria is produced in the cytoplasm. They live mainly in sea ​​water, and less often on dry land. One bacterium emits very weak, almost invisible light by itself, but when they are in in large numbers, then they glow with a more intense, very pleasant blue light.

1. Medusa (Aequorea Victoria)

In the 1960s, Japanese-American scientist Osamu Shimomura at Nagoya University identified the luminescent protein aequorin from the Aequorea victoria jellyfish. Shimomura showed that aequorin is initiated with calcium ions without oxygen (oxidation). In other words, the light-emitting fragment is not a separate substrate in itself, but a substrate strongly associated with the protein. This, in turn, made a huge contribution not only to science, but also to medicine. In 2008, Shimomura was awarded Nobel Prize for your labors.

Luminescence is the emission of visible light and light in the ultraviolet to infrared ranges.
In nature, the phenomenon of luminescence has been known for a long time. His study led to the discovery x-rays and radioactivity.
Some animals have systems that allow them to produce fluorescent light to confuse or frighten an enemy.

Do you know where the tales of Firebirds and evil spirits came from? Yes, yes, yes, we are familiar with this phenomenon - luminescence!
Those who have been to the tropics could observe truly amazing underwater glows. And under certain circumstances, some have seen birds, fish, and even people glowing in the dark!

In earlier ages, people were in awe of what they saw. They mistook the birds glowing with cold fire for flying demons. Myths and fairy tales were composed about this phenomenon. Here is one of those myths.
The chronicle of the cathedral, located in Staraya Ladoga, tells that the deacon Fyodor was walking along a cliff over the Volkhov River in the autumn evening of 1864 and heard the sound of wings, similar to that of ducks. But what was the horror experienced by Fyodor when he saw a demon flying right at him! The deacon became even more frightening when the demon turned into a goose. Of course, at first no one believed Fyodor's stories, but a few days later "demons" appeared in front of other people. The most courageous tried to catch these Firebirds, but their efforts were not crowned with success. BUT late autumn « devilry” has disappeared.

Glowing birds are still found in the Arkhangelsk region to this day. Mostly ducks and geese. There were such meetings in the suburbs. One of the hunters once shot such a bird, and, putting it in his hunting bag, he was surprised to realize that his hands also began to flicker with a strange light. But the glow stopped while he carried his trophy home.
Scientists explain this phenomenon quite simply. According to ornithologists, special microorganisms settle on the feathers of many birds, which create an amazing glow effect.

Stripes on the water, phosphorescent with cold light, can be seen during a night boat trip along the Black Sea near the city of Sochi. Imagine a huge starry sky, in the distance - the lights of coastal villages with proud mountain peaks towering above them and the water gradually flaring up around the ship, which begins to shimmer more and more with a bluish light! The crests of the waves begin to blaze with amazing light, dolphins joyfully play in these flashes. Truly, it is a magnificent sight!

And it is created by marine microorganisms. Jellyfish, some types of squid and fish, shrimps can glow.
Luminous squids were "discovered" by French scientists in 1834. Such a squid has 10 tentacles, and it is found most often in Indian Ocean and off the coast South Africa. The phenomenon of such a glow is called chemiluminescence - this is the transition of chemical energy into light without the cost of heat.
But the phenomenon of luminous giant wheels in tropical seas still remain a mystery. These wheels reach several meters in diameter, they rotate and move over the water, bringing eyewitnesses to awe. There are many eyewitnesses to this fantastic spectacle, but so far no one has been able to photograph the wheels.

Fireflies

Who among you has not met tiny fireflies twinkling in the grass with green lights? In Crimea, such fireflies are not uncommon and reach the size of a child's little fingernail. When you first see such a light in the night, you can easily mistake it for the eye of a predator. Still would! Fear has big eyes!
It happens that tropical fireflies gather in huge groups and sit on a tree, several on each leaf. Their light is visible at a distance of one and a half - two kilometers! Moreover, they simultaneously “turn on and extinguish” their “flashlights”.
It is interesting that once such fireflies saved Cuba from invaders! In the 18th century, a sea expedition landed on the island, but at night the colonialists saw a myriad of luminous lights in the forest. The British decided that the enemy forces were too great, they needed to flee before it was too late.

Ecology

Some living organisms can light up dark places without the help of sunlight. While The most famous bioluminescent creatures are fireflies, besides them there are different kinds insects, fungi, bacteria, jellyfish and bony fish that can glow. More often they use chemical reactions at night, in caves or in the black depths of the ocean.

Bioluminescence evolved along with life on earth, although there are no flowering plants that have this ability and very few animals can glow, researchers believe that these abilities have developed independently of each other many times.

According to the new bioluminescence exhibition at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, it has evolved at least 50 times, and maybe more. Among bony fish, the ability to glow, sometimes with the help of glowing bacteria, evolved 20 to 30 times in different groups, according to John Sparks, curator of ichthyology at the museum.

"Even in the case of fish, we know that each time the abilities developed independently of each other, because in this process various chemical reactions used by different groups were used. Some used the" services "of special bacteria, others learned to glow on their own."

Glow-in-the-dark organisms use a variety of chemical reactions that involve at least three components: the luciferase enzyme, which helps oxygen bind to organic molecules (the third component), is called luciferin. The highly charged molecule created by the reaction releases energy in the form of light.

For organisms that use this component, bioluminescence has many uses, according to exhibit materials. Fireflies use light to attract mates and warn predators of the toxins they may encounter if they attack the fireflies. Deep sea anglers use a "lit" lure to attract prey. The belly of the silver-bellied fish also glows, which is a kind of camouflage that helps them blend in. environment. Dinoflagellates, the simplest single-celled organisms, glow when disturbed, perhaps to scare away a predator, or to attract another predator that feeds on their "enemy". Mosquito fungus larvae glow to attract prey.

Most of bioluminescent organisms, about 80 percent of the species, live in the most "densely populated" place on the planet - deep in the sea. In fact, it is believed that most species that live below 700 meters can produce their own light. There is no consensus as to why the ability to glow has evolved so many times, but the theory of adaptation to life in the deep sea is the most popular, according to Sparks.

"Luciferins, these light-producing molecules, are good antioxidants, so it's thought that they may have served as antioxidants at some point in time and then 're-qualified'," Sparks explains.

As the oxygen content of the ocean increased, animals moved into deep waters to be out of reach ultraviolet radiation. In deep waters, where antioxidants are no longer needed to repair genetic damage caused by UV radiation, luciferins have evolved into organisms that produce light.

However, not everything that glows is bioluminescent. Some organisms, such as corals, glow by absorbing light from one wavelength of ultraviolet radiation and releasing it at another wavelength. Since UV radiation is not visible to the human eye, it may seem as if these creatures produce their own light.

The exhibition "Beings of Light: Natural Bioluminescence" opens at the American Museum of Natural History in New York on March 31 and runs until January 6, 2013.