(via fallenpixel)
Bioluminescence: Sea Squirts
The salp is a 5-inch (13-centimeter)-long , barrel-shaped organism that resembles a streamlined jellyfish. It lives in mid-ocean waters where it filters the seawater for food particles. Some species of salps are bioluminescent and exude flashes of light. Salps swim and eat in rhythmic pulses, each of which draws seawater in through an opening at the front end of the organism. A nanometer-scale mucus net captures the food particles, mostly phytoplankton, which end up in the gut where they are digested.
(via: Live Science) (photo: Kelly Sutherland & Larry Maddin, WHOI)
Creatures of the Deep Sea: Pacific Viperfish
The Pacific Viperfish (Chauliodus macouni) has jagged, needle-like teeth so out-sized that it can’t close its mouth. These deep-sea demons reach only about 8 in. (25 cm) long. They troll the depths up to 13,000 ft (4,400 m) below, luring prey with bioluminescent photophores on their bellies.
(via: National Geo) (photo: David Wrobel)
Totem animal #27: deep-sea shrimp (parapandulus) emitting bioluminescent “vomit” as defense mechanism. Red-light image by biologist Sönke Johnsen, 2009.
Scientists aren’t certain about the purpose of the glowing stuff yet, but think it may work “like the exploding-paint money bags you see in bank robbery movies,” Johnsen said. “An animal that disturbs the shrimp gets coated with light, which makes it highly visible to predators.”
Bioluminescent fish
The larvae of a deep-water tripodfish Bathypterois. Image captured before preservation. As an adult it stands on the bottom on tripod-like fins in water as deep as 5,000 meters. Further proof that Earth is just as breathtaking as the fictional world of Pandora if we open our eyes to its wonders.
The glass squid is a master of luminous disguise. Unlike the many species that use bioluminescence as an attention-grabbing beacon, this animal uses light as a cloak to evade prying eyes.
Aside from its opaque eyes and the polka dot-like chromatophores (pigmented cells that aid in camouflage) that cover its body, the glass squid is completely transparent. The chromatophores are not an issue, but the opaque color of its eyes can be a dead giveaway. Many species hunt for prey by scanning the water column above them, looking for any telltale silhouettes that might signal the presence of their next meal.
To confound its potential predators, the glass squid makes use of two U-shaped light-emitting photophores located at the base of its eyes: the lights cancel out the shadows cast by the opaque eyes. The effect of this strategy, called counterillumination, is to break up the squid’s silhouette by mimicking the intensity and color of downwelling light from the surface.
Angler fish
To give you an idea for how deep some bioluminescent organisms live! On this diagram their habitat is marked around 13,120 ft.
Bacteria that live in oceans in some parts of the world glow when exposed to a stimulus, such as motion. The beautiful wave in this picture seems to have activated lots of bacteria to bioluminesce.
The tropical mantis shrimp is known for one thing above all else: its amazing eyes. Unlike our own primitive eyes, which detect three primary colors, the mantis shrimp’s can see 12. They can also perceive different forms of polarized light—light waves oscillating in a single direction. This ability is primarily thought to help the shrimp nab the transparent animals that it feasts on.
On the dimly lit seafloor, where the shrimp dig their burrows, their complex eyes have another crucial function: interspecies communication. Pigments in the shrimp’s appendages absorb the ocean’s ambient blue light and emit it in a yellow-green color, resulting in the characteristic spotty markings. The light’s wavelength is so specific that only other members of the species can trace it, which allows the mantis shrimp both to flaunt its goods to prospective mates and to threaten encroachers.
The Sparkling Enope Squid (Watasenia scintillans), also known as the Firefly Squid. Each of its tentacles has an organ called a photophore, which produces light. By flashing these lights, the Sparkling Enope Squid can attract little fish to feed upon… The Sparkling Enope Squid measures about 3 inches long at maturity and dies after one year of life.
(via redsassafras)
Mollusc Baby
