Page 74 - World of Animals - Issue #28 Magazine

Living light

Light in the abyss

Sunlight only penetrates the top 100 metres (330 feet) of the depths that it’s almost unsurprising that some have evolved to
ocean, and animals that live below the reach of the Sun’s rays generate their own light.
experience constant darkness. There are several zones to the Bioluminescence, a natural glow produced by an organism, is a
ocean from the sunlight or photic zone at the surface all the way chemical process involving a substance called luciferin. When this BELOW Comb
down through the twilight and midnight zones to the abyssal molecule comes into contact with oxygen it produces a chemical jellyfi sh use
zone at 4,000 to 6,000 metres (13,100 to 19,700 feet) deep. This called oxyluciferin and the by-product is light. While only a bioluminescence
as a defence
water is completely devoid of light, but is home to hundreds of handful of terrestrial animals have this capability, it’s relatively mechanism
weird and wonderful marine species that humans have had to common in the sea, where it has evolved numerous times. This by surprising
develop highly specialised equipment to even glimpse. Animals demonstrates how crucial it is to be able to produce light, and for predators with

flashing light
have even been found living below the abyssal zone, at such dark some species it’s the difference between survival and death.
“At such dark depths it’s almost
unsurprising that animals have

evolved to generate their own light”

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