Sunday, September 25, 2011

Glow in the Dark Shark! Disappear as well!!

For the Article below I found my information from another website and article, for the website click here



In this article they talk about a species of sharks that can glow when they want to and 'disappear' as well. Thus species of sharks is called Lantern Sharks, they are a rare dogfish shark. These sharks are found in the deep waters of the East China Sea and off the coast of Taiwan and Japan. Like I said before this shark can glow in the dark at its own will and when predators come they can make themselves invisible. What allows them to do this is their light emitting organs called photophores. The lantern sharks belly, tail, flanks, and pectoral fins light up in particular. When they light up, since they feed at the bottom of the ocean, they attract prey to them and that makes getting food easier for the lantern shark since the prey comes to them.  Also according to and quoting this article "To become invisible or camouflage itself against predators, the shark uses another neat trick, called counter-illumination. With the help of its photophores, it transmits the same intensity of light that is coming in from the sun above and blends in, so that all its predators who are looking upwards from its belly, (which is the only lit up section) see is a spurt of blinding light. And, it gets better. Since the shark has no way to regulate its brightness, it regulates its depth. During the day, when the sun is brightest, it swims deeper in the ocean, while at night, it floats nearer the surface, effectively remaining camouflaged as long as it wishes to." The shark controls its turn on and turn off with a coordination of hormones.

2 comments:

  1. WOW! I'm gonna get one for a pet! Nah I'm joking, but on the serious side, its amazing that sharks have specifically evolved to fit their surroundings in such manner

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  2. Good Job! Does the glowing have anything to with bacteria like fireflies?

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