Page 236 - (DK) I Can’t Believe It! 2

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Animal data

LUMINOUS ANIMALS jellyfish emit a brilliant burst of glow-worm (beetle larva) that can give off
Many scorpions are
Some click beetles emit a
bright light to ward off predators; their
fluorescent—they have
molecules on their body surface
light is so strong that you can read by it.
that glow in ultraviolet light
Railroad worms are a form
When attacked, Atolla
light in different colors; their head glows
of light that can be seen up to
red, while the body has green spots.
300 ft (91 m) away.
Sea sparkles (Noctiluca
scintillans) are tiny sea creatures
Comb jellies produce blue
that form huge colonies up to 80
or green light, but moving their body
miles (128 km) long. When disturbed,
can scatter the light to create
they flash blue-green phosphorescent
multicolored moving patterns.
light across miles of ocean.
UNUSUAL EYES Tailorbirds curl up leaves to build nests
inside. They make tiny holes along the edge
• The chiton mollusk has of the leaf and use plant
more eyes than any other animal. fibers or even spider
Embedded in its shell are thousands webs to stitch the
of eyes made of minerals, which can leaf in place.
see light and shapes.
• The tuatara lizard
has a so-called “third eye”
on the top of its head, which
detects changes in light.
• Starfish
have basic eye spots at the NEEDLEWORK
end of each arm that can make
out light and large shapes.
Blue stars can see to a distance of 3 ft
(1 m), and each eye spot has a 170–220
degree field of vision—slightly wider than T
that of a human.
• Mexican tetra
fish species includes
a blind variety that lives ES
in caves. The lack of eyes means the blind
fish use 15 percent less energy than the
sighted ones.
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