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Thursday, April 22, 2010

Fish Ninja Trick

More than 90 percent of the fish and other marine creatures that live in the oceans mid-watersfrom 300 to 3,000 feet deep-glow in the dark. The light emitted by living things is called bioluminescence (bah-you-lou-me-nest-cents). 

You may wonder why do they glow. Well, some use a lighted lure to attract prey, the way a fisherman sometimes baits a hook with a brightly painted fake fish. Others use their light to attract (or to find a mate in the dark). How can you love what you can't see, right? =)

But most glowing sea creatures use light as a kind of camouflage. The glow makes it harder for other creatures who might be looking for a tasty treat to see them. Hows absurd is that? Glows in the dark to hide?  Even an idiot would know better right? Wrong~!

Seen from below, a fish silhouetted against the faint light cast downward from the oceans sunlit surface is a tempting tip-off to a hungry predator. But a fish that glows can avoid becoming the "catch of the day" by precisely balancing the downcoming light with its own bioluminescence. Biologists call this, smart fish trick counter-illumination. I called it the cool fishy ninja trick.

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