The most unusual luminous marine animals. Luminous deep sea animals Creatures that emit light

"My Planet" tells about an amazing phenomenon - luminous living beings and about where and when they can be seen.

About 800 species of creatures on the planet glow in the dark like light bulbs. These are the well-known fireflies, and some earthworms, and underwater inhabitants- deep sea fish, jellyfish, squid. Some organisms glow constantly, and some are capable of only short flashes. Some shine with their whole body, others have special “flashlights” and “beacons” for this.

Light is used by organisms in the most various purposes: to attract prey and partners, to disguise, scare and disorient enemies, or simply to communicate with fellow tribesmen.

The ability of living things to emit light is called bioluminescence. It is based on a chemical reaction caused by the presence of certain substances and accompanied by the release of energy. Scientists began to study bioluminescence only at the end of the 19th century, and there are still many questions and mysteries in this area. We will talk about the most amazing luminous creatures that inhabit our planet.

fireflies

Representatives of the firefly family (and there are about 2000 species of them) arrange spectacular illuminations at night, using their light device on the abdomen to mate and communicate with each other. Not only adults are capable of glowing, but also eggs and larvae. The light of representatives of different species differs in shades and character: from red-yellow to green, from continuous to pulsating. Many species of these beetles can regulate the light in their "bulbs": shine brightly or dimly, when gathered together, flash and go out at the same time. The females of the American firefly Photuris versicolor are especially insidious: at first they emit light signals to attract males of their own species, and after mating with them, they change call signs to lure males of another species - already for gastronomic purposes.

On the example of fireflies, one can understand how the process of bioluminescence occurs in general: in the beetle's abdomen there are photogenic cells containing small molecules - lucefirins. Under the influence of a special enzyme - luciferase, they are oxidized with the release of energy (the reaction requires the presence of oxygen, adenosine triphosphate and magnesium ions). In this case, the energy is not used for heating, as, for example, with an incandescent light bulb, but almost entirely goes into cold light. The efficiency of a firefly's "bulb" reaches 98%, while an ordinary incandescent lamp can turn only 5% of the energy into light. The light from 38 beetles can compete with the flame of an average wax candle.

In many countries, people used fireflies as light sources before the invention of Edison. The natives of Central and South America decorated themselves and their homes with fireflies during ritual holidays. The Amazon Indians tied fire beetles to their feet, hoping to scare them away with light. poisonous snakes in the jungle. The Portuguese, who colonized Brazil, put beetles in lamps near icons instead of oil. Japanese geisha stuffed wicker vessels with fireflies - spectacular nightlights were obtained. Catching fireflies and admiring them is a long-standing entertainment of the Japanese.

Where to see: for example, in June you can come to the Japanese farm Yuyake Koyake (half an hour from Tokyo), where about 2500 crickets live.

Jellyfish

The jellyfish Aequorea victoria became a celebrity thanks to the Japanese scientist Osamu Shimomura: he became interested in its glow back in the 50s, caught similar jellyfish in buckets for decades and examined about 9,000 specimens. As a result, a green protein (GFP) was isolated from a jellyfish in the laboratory, which fluoresces with a greenish light when illuminated with blue light. It seemed like a Sisyphean task until genetic engineering appeared and the use of GFP was found: now this gene can be implanted into living organisms and see firsthand what happens in cells. For this discovery Shimomura received in 2008 Nobel Prize in chemistry.

Where to see: off the west coast North America.

glow worms

Luminescent worms live in Siberian soil. They have luminous points all over their body, react with a bluish-green light to various stimuli (mechanical, chemical, electrical), are able to glow for up to ten minutes, gradually fading. Amazing worms, called Fridericia heliota, were discovered and studied by scientists from Krasnoyarsk. Having received a mega-grant for the creation of a laboratory of bioluminescent biotechnologies in the Siberian federal university, they invited the same Osama Shimomura and were able to decipher the structure of the luminous protein of worms and even synthesize it in the laboratory. This year they published the results of their years of research. Scientists collected worms themselves, having shoveled tons of Siberian soil.

Where to see: in the Siberian taiga at night.

mosquito larvae

Fungal mosquitoes Arachnocampa spend from six months to a year of life in the state of larvae, and in the guise of a mosquito they live only one or two days. As larvae, they weave webs of silk like spiders and illuminate them with their own blue-green light. As a result, their colonies on the walls and ceilings of caves look like a starry sky. The hungrier the larvae, the brighter they glow, attracting prey - small insects.

Where to see: in Australian and New Zealand caves - especially popular with tourists different countries Boat trips to the Waitomo Caves.

crustaceans

During World War II, the Japanese collected the small barnacle ostracod Cypridina hilgendorfii and used them for lighting at night. These natural light bulbs turn on very simply: just wet them with water.

Where to see: in the coastal waters and sands of Japan.

Fish

In the depths of the oceans, amazing luminous fish live, equipped with special organs - photophores. These are lantern glands that can be located anywhere: on the head, back, sides, around the eyes or mouth, on the antennae or processes of the body. They are filled with slime, inside of which bioluminescent bacteria glow. It is curious that the fish itself can control the glow of bacteria by constricting or expanding blood vessels - oxygen is needed for flashes of light. The most interesting of the luminous fish are the deep-sea anglerfish, which live at a depth of about 3 km under water. Females, which can reach a meter in length, have a special fishing rod with a “beacon” at the end: it is the light that attracts prey to it. The most advanced type of anglerfish, the benthic galateatuma Galateathauma axeli, has a light "bait" right in its mouth. She does not need to hunt - just open her mouth and swallow her prey.

Another colorful fish is the black dragon (Malacosteus niger). It is notable for the fact that it emits red light with the help of special "spotlights" located under the eyes. The light is not visible to almost any of the deep-sea inhabitants of the ocean, and the fish can safely light their way, remaining unnoticed.

Where to see: deep in the ocean.

squids

Among squid, there are about 70 bioluminescent species. The world's largest luminous creature is giant squid Taningia danae - scientists were able to see an individual 2.3 m long and weighing 60 kg. Light organs are located on his tentacles. Scientists suggest that the squid emits flashes of light in order to blind the victim and measure the distance to the target. In 2007 a team from National Museum Science Tokyo filmed a fragment of the hunt of a giant squid that lives at a depth of up to 1000 m.

Another amazing cephalopod is the vampire squid Vampyroteuthis infernalis. Due to the unusual organs of luminescence, it was isolated by scientists in separate detachment. In addition to two large photophores, he has small luminous "lanterns" throughout his body, besides, he is able to release a light curtain consisting of numerous blue luminous balls from the tips of his tentacles. it powerful weapon in the fight against the enemy, it lasts up to ten minutes and allows the squid to hide in case of danger. Curiously, the underwater vampire can adjust the brightness and size of the color spot.

Where to see: in early March, hordes of firefly squid Watasenia live in Japan near the coast of Toyama Bay. These small creatures live in the Western Pacific Ocean at depths of up to 350 m and come to the surface to spawn in the spring, arranging a light show for tourists.

fireworks

Fireballs, or pyrosomes, are marine free-floating colonial creatures from the class of tunicates. They are made up of thousands of small organisms called zooids. Each of them has bacterial luminous organs, due to which the entire colony luminesces with a bluish-green light, visible at a distance of more than 30 m. This animal, similar to a giant worm, swims with its closed end outward, and an adult could fit in the internal cavity. An underwater monster can grow up to 30 m in length. Biologists call pyros sea unicorns, as they are one of the most mysterious and little-studied creatures on the planet.

Where to see: waters near the Australian island of Tasmania is one of the few places on the planet where fireballs swim close to the shore. In 2011, Michael Baron filmed an 18-meter sea unicorn in these places.

green animals

Thanks to a protein isolated from jellyfish, scientists have bred animals that glow green when illuminated with ultraviolet light. In 1998, the first green mouse with the GFP gene appeared, then scientists gave the world green pigs and sheep, glowing colorful fish GloFish and genetically modified silkworms that produce fluorescent silk. Scientists hope that colored genes will help fight diseases such as HIV, cancer, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.

Many organisms of the plant and animal world are capable of emitting light. On the this moment there are about 800 species of such animals, some of which belong to deep-sea inhabitants.

These are unicellular (nocturnal), coelenterates (sea feathers, hydroids, jellyfish, siphonophores), ctenophores, various crustaceans, mollusks (especially deep-sea squids), worms and echinoderms. But do not forget about the fish, a striking example of which are anglers.

There is not enough time to tell about all the “glowing in the night”, so we decided to make the Top 10 most interesting luminous representatives of the deep sea world.

Sea pen belongs to the group of pinnate calcareous polyps. Known for their ability to glow. Glow is the reaction of the polyp to various stimuli. Widespread in tropical and subtropical waters Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. Settle in colonies on sandy or muddy seabed. They feed on plankton and organic matter. They grow up to 40 centimeters (upper and lower parts), but on the surface their “feather” does not exceed 25 centimeters. In total, there are about 300 species.

Hatchet fish lives at a depth of 200-600 meters, but some specimens can be found at a depth of up to 2 kilometers. Due to the narrow tail and wide flat body, they look somewhat like an ax. For which, in fact, they got their name. They grow no more than 7-8 centimeters. Predators. Photophores (luminescence organs) are located on the abdomen. During the glow, for fish living at greater depths, its silhouette becomes blurred. Therefore, the ability to glow in these fish serves to disguise, and not to lure prey, such as anglers. Hatchet fish can adjust the intensity of their glow.

Each representative of this type of marine invertebrates has "combs" - rowing plates, which are bundles of cilia glued together. The sizes are very diverse - from 2-2.5 mm to 3 m (for example, the Venus belt (Cestum Veneris)). The body is like a bag, at one end of which is the mouth, and at the other the organs of balance. Ctenophores do not have stinging cells, so food is immediately captured by the mouth or trapping tentacles (in ctenophores of the class Tentacles (Tentaculata)). They are hermaphrodites. They feed on plankton, fish fry and other ctenophores.

Bomb worms have been found in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of the Philippines, Mexico and the United States. They live at a depth of 1.8 to 3.8 kilometers. Their body consists of segments and setae attached to them. They swim very well. They do this with the help of wave-like movements of their body. In length grow from 2 to 10 centimeters.

Their main method of protection is the launch of "bombs" - simple sacs filled with hemolymph - a substance that is the "blood" of invertebrates. When the enemy approaches, these bombs are separated from the worm and begin to luminesce.

It lives at a depth of 500-1000 meters. It is literally dotted with photophores of various sizes, most of which are located in front of the eyes (on the eyelids and even in the eyeball). Sometimes they merge into continuous luminous bands that surround the eye. He can adjust the intensity of the glow of his "headlights". It feeds on fish and various vertebrates. Has an ink bag.

6. Giant deep-sea squid Taningia danae

It is the largest bioluminescent squid. known to science the specimen reaches a length of 2.3 meters and weighs about 60 kilograms. It lives in tropical and subtropical waters at a depth of about 1000 meters. Aggressive predator. The pursuit speed is 2.5 meters per second. The squid emits short flashes of light before attacking with the help of special organs located on the tentacles. There are several suggestions as to why he needs these flashes of light:

1. They help the squid to blind its prey;
2. allow you to measure the distance to the target;
3. or are an element of courtship.

A bright representative of deep-sea luminous fish. One of the most scary fish in the world. It lives at depths up to 3000 meters. Distinctive feature is a process on the head of females, at the end of which is a sac with luminous bacteria. It acts as a bait for other deep-sea fish. Anglerfish also feed on crustaceans and cephalopods. Very voracious.

You can find more detailed information about these fish.

These are deep sea shrimp. Their photophores are located on the body and on special areas of the liver that shine through the integument of the body. These shrimp are also capable of throwing out a glowing liquid that scares off opponents. In addition, this glow helps them find each other during the breeding season. Each species of these shrimp has certain luminous areas. This helps them to distinguish each other.

9. Hellish vampire or hellish vampire squid (lat. Vampyroteuthis infernalis)

A unique deep sea animal. It lives in the "oxygen minimum zone". Small sizes. Emits a glow.

If you want to get to know him better, then you.

We couldn't get past this fish. Idiacant, along with anglers, is a deep-sea fish and swims at a depth of 500 to 2000 meters. Habitats are tropical and temperate waters of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans. She has a long serpentine body. The length of females is several times greater than the length of males. Idiakant glows not only with scales, but also with long sharp teeth. Here you can get to know this fish better.

Presnyakova Tatiana

From this work, I learned a lot about luminous animals:

1. Luminous animals live in the oceans and seas.

2. These animals glow at great depths because sunlight does not enter there.

3. These animals need living light in order to attract individuals of the opposite sex, to distract the enemy in case of danger for several seconds.

Working with the material, I learned a lot of new things.

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Preview:

Ministry of Education of the Saratov Region

Municipal educational institution

"Lyceum No. 37"

Frunzensky district of the city of Saratov

Creative work on the topic:

"Glowing Animals"

Performed

student of 9 "A" class

Presnyakova Tatyana Alexandrovna

Teacher

Sarsengaliyeva N.Zh

Saratov 2012

1. Introduction.

2. Why organisms need living light.

3. Luminous animals.

4. Conclusion

5. List of references

1. Introduction:

Sometimes at night in the forest you will encounter a strange phenomenon. In a familiar place, on a well-trodden forest path during the day, a pale bluish light suddenly flickers. It turns out that it is a stump and rot scattered around it that glow. After examining the stump and rotten, you will find that they are pierced with white threads - the mushroom mycelium. It is she (mycelium) that glows at night. Meat and fish lying in a dark pantry can also glow. Summer evening on the coast of the Black Sea, among the large pebbles rolled up by the waves, oblong luminous objects can be seen. It turns out that half-dried fish thrown out by the sea - anchovy or atherinka - glow. Luminous bacteria settle on meat and dead fish, and it is they who cause them to glow.

In many places of our country - in the middle lane and in the south, in Primorye and Sakhalin - there are luminous insects - fireflies. They crawl and fly at night among the bushes and trees, flashing like small lights. However, most luminous insects live in the tropics. Especially famous for their bright glow are three genera of click beetles - pyrophorus, living in Central and South America. Cuban girls decorated their hair with pyrophorus. But living "jewels" sparkle in girls' hair only at night. Less well known are the photophorus beetles from the New Hebrides and Fiji Islands and the Chilean Campiloxenus. In all these beetles, not only adults glow, but also larvae, eggs.

An interesting glow happens on the sea. Behind the stern of the boat in calm weather, after sunset, a luminous trail sometimes stretches for 5-6 m, and drops of water falling from the oars seem like blue sparks. These are the smallest simple organisms that have multiplied in huge numbers in the surface layer. sea ​​water. Separately, these tiny creatures are barely distinguishable, and when there are many of them, they give the impression of a single luminous mass or luminous spots if these clusters are scattered. “And the ocean ... boils and sparkles,” wrote I. A. Goncharov in travel essays Frigate Pallas. “Under the ship, an abyss of flame opens up, streams of gold, silver and hot coals break out with noise.”

The glow of the sea sometimes brings considerable benefits. For fishermen, it shows shoals of fish, and sailors notice underwater danger from the increasing glow of the sea - a rock, a reef, a shallow. AT war time the glow of the sea betrayed a torpedo or a submarine. But more than once during the war it also happened that the ships, due to the glow of the sea, could not develop full speed. A fast-moving ship disturbs the water a lot, this causes a noticeable glow around it, and especially the wake of the ship. A ship unmasked by the glow is forced to slow down so as not to be seen by the enemy.

Among marine animals there are many luminous ones. In the bay of Posyet Far East at the end of summer, bluish flashes are visible at night. This group is very ancient, and they learned about it only when they began to study the deep-sea fauna. Now Soviet sea expeditions have collected dozens of species of these peculiar animals. Obviously, pogonophores in ancient geological epochs inhabited shallow seas, then they died out there and survived only in the depths of the ocean.

The deep-sea fauna apparently formed in the zone of cold and temperate seas, where animals, plunging into the depths, did not encounter significant temperature changes. Part of the deep-sea fauna could have arisen in tropical zone ocean.

The adaptations of deep-sea animals for existence in the ocean depths are very interesting and varied. There are a lot of predatory fish here - their appearance clearly speaks about the way of life. They have huge mouths with long, recurved, sharp teeth; it seems that the whole animal consists of one mouth. The body is usually disproportionately thin, sometimes short.

What is life like in the dark, lightless depths of the ocean? The deeper daylight penetrates the sea, the faster it weakens. A traveler to the depths of the ocean V. Beeb writes that the water in the upper 50 m has a green color, at a depth of 60 m it is greenish-blue or blue-green, at 180 m it has a clear blue color, at 300 m it has a faint blackish blue. Even at a depth of 580 m Beebe caught the last traces of light. Various devices with photographic plates, and more precisely with the help of photoelectronic cameras, have found that light penetrates into the ocean to a depth of 1500 m. No devices can capture it deeper. But animals live even deeper than 1500 m. They exist here in complete darkness, in which ghostly lights of cold “living light” glimmer only in some places. Even at the deepest depth - about 11 thousand meters - you can find animals. At this depth, they experience tremendous pressure. Angler- alas, it does not glow.

The oceanic environment is called the realm of monotony. This is most true in relation to the depths of the ocean. Here in the water there are almost no fluctuations in temperature and salinity. In the depths of the ocean and at its bottom, life is thousands and tens of thousands of times poorer than in coastal areas. Near the coasts, the number of benthic animals is often expressed in hundreds of grams or even several kilograms per square meter of seabed. And in the depths of the ocean, this amount is sometimes equal to only a few milligrams per the same bottom area. The density of plankton in coastal waters reaches hundreds, sometimes thousands of milligrams per 1 m 3 , and in the depths it is limited to milligrams or even fractions of a milligram. This is due primarily to the abundance of food near the coasts and its lack in the ocean depths..

The population of the surface zones of the World Ocean includes about 170,000 species of various animals, mainly protozoa, sponges, coelenterates, worms, arthropods, echinoderms, fish, and mammals. The deeper the fewer species, and only a few hundreds or even dozens of species live at the deepest depths of the ocean. Foraminifera rhizomes, sponges, coelenterates, worms, crustaceans and echinoderms predominate there. Deep-sea fish live at slightly shallower depths.

In our time, the study of life sea ​​depths achieved significant success. Much credit for this belongs to the Soviet scientific expeditions conducting its research in the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Oceans.

The deep-sea fauna was created gradually, starting from the most ancient geological epochs. It continues to be created even now. Therefore, in its composition there are both very ancient forms, and still very young ones. A remarkable discovery was made by a Danish deep-sea expedition sailing on the Galatea ship. In the Pacific Ocean west of the Mexican coast, from a depth of 3.5 km was caught amazing clam neopilin. This is a representative of a special class that was widespread in shallow seas hundreds of millions of years ago - in the most ancient geological epochs. Obviously, for long geological periods the conditions of life in the ocean depths have hardly changed, which, of course, could not be in the surface layers of the ocean.

In the depths of the Far Eastern seas and in the deep-water basins of the Pacific Ocean, a group of marine invertebrates, close to vertebrates, lives - pogonophores.

In the water, against a sparkling background, something the size of a palm suddenly flashes, and behind it a narrow luminous trail stretches, as if along a ruler. This glows the mucus that the small shallow-water cuttlefish sepiola releases, leaving the enemies. In southern India, fishermen catch at night in the coastal lagoons a luminous fish the size of our crucian carp - leiognathus, interesting topics that it not only glows, but also makes sounds. In Indonesia, at night, small fish, photoblepharon and anomalops, flicker off the coast. The luminous organs carved from them do not go out for several hours. Fishermen bait their rods with these flashlights.

Objective:

I was interested in this topic and I wanted to know:

1.Where glowing animals live

2. Why do they glow

3. Why do organisms need living light

With this work, I will try to reveal all the tasks assigned to me.

2. Why do organisms need living light?

Nothing in nature happens for a reason. So the glow is caused by the biological adaptation of organisms to the environment, developed in the process of long evolution.

In deep-sea fish, luminescence serves mainly to illuminate and lure prey. The brightness of daytime illumination of the sea surface decreases with depth by an average of 10 times for every 50 meters. At the same time, the thickness of sea water is like a filter that passes only green and blue rays. Until recently, it was believed that complete darkness dominates four hundred meters from the surface of the sea. But later accurate measurements showed that this was not the case. Scientists have found that light at great depths is caused by ... luminous small and large organisms. Starting from a depth of 200 meters, individual flashes of light already appear; at a depth of 300 meters they become continuous, and further attenuation of illumination is no longer observed, since the biological luminescence becomes stronger than the intensity of light penetrating to this depth from the surface. Individual flashes of light in their intensity exceeded the total illumination during night measurements by 200 times, sometimes even 1000 times. It is quite possible that the strongest flashes occurred when the photometer instrument came into contact with glowing fish or some other luminous organism...
The "live" illumination of deep-sea fishes is diverse: in some, the entire surface of the body glows; others have photophores - clusters of luminous cells located on the sides of the body, on the head or tail. And there are also underwater beauties - fabulous sea princesses, dressed by nature in fantastic outfits, shimmering like a starry sky.

Scientists believe that bioluminescence is sufficient for orientation in environment many deep sea organisms. For example, big eyes Diodon fish, adapted to the low light of the ocean depths, have a luminosity of 1:2. But this is not inferior to the optics of good modern cameras!

The omnipotence of the evolution of living nature can sometimes be envied by design engineers of the best optical, sound and electronic devices and devices. For example, if luminescence serves to illuminate the environment, then the walls of a living organ are lined with a number of cells that act as a reflector. Other cells covering the organ can be compared to a lens. Above it, in some organisms, there is a layer of colored cells that serve as a light filter. It is remarkable that many fish, depending on the situation, are able to light or extinguish the natural “illumination”. Therefore, in the process of evolution, devices have developed that allow “live” shutters to open or close the lamp.

Another form of adaptation of animals to the environment in the struggle for existence is the throwing out of a luminous liquid or "cloud" in case of danger. In addition to such frightening, blinding light curtains, there are also camouflage "chemical curtains" that destroy and drown out the smells of a defending or attacking animal.

Particularly interesting are the luminous organs of cephalopods - octopuses (octopuses) and squids. True, in the novels of V. Hugo and Jules Verne, these animals are sometimes confused and their size is somewhat exaggerated. But in the South Pacific Ocean, indeed, sometimes there are huge squids reaching fifteen to twenty meters in length (tentacle span) and weighing several tons. Such giants sometimes engage in terrible mortal battles with sperm whales at depths of up to a thousand meters or more. Not surprisingly, cephalopods have evolved many unique organs and functions: they have three hearts and blue blood; they have the ability to change the color of their body to camouflage. Therefore, they are called "chameleons of the sea."

But the most interesting thing for us is the glow of shellfish.

Even the small firefly squid from the Gulf of Toyama in the Sea of ​​Japan, during its breeding season, occurs in masses near the surface, brightly luminescing from pushing each other. The glow occurs as a result of mechanical irritation - the movement of water, friction against air bubbles and touching other organisms. The head, mantle and outer surface of the two abdominal pairs of tentacles are dotted with numerous small pearls - photophores. . Five similar but brighter photophores fringe each eye. And three large and brightest photophores sit at the ends of the abdominal tentacles. The light of one vatazenia illuminates a zone with a diameter of 25-30 centimeters in the water. But they accumulate in the bay innumerable!

Note that the glow of these squids, as well as the luminescence of many worms and insects, plays the role of attracting individuals of the opposite sex. Therefore, the glow of females and males is different.

Even more complex and more perfect is the glow of deep-sea squids. N. I. Tarasov describes this phenomenon as follows: “The central eye organs of the squid lycoteitis diadem from the Indian Ocean from a depth of 3000 meters glow ultramarine blue, the lateral ones pearl white, the middle abdominal organs sky blue, and the anterior ones ruby ​​red.” How can one not say that this real miracle animal surpasses even a fantastic firebird with cold light! .. And the luminous organs of deep-sea searchlight-type squids allow light to escape in only one desired direction, contain “live” reflectors, lenses (sometimes double ones!), "mirror". And in the squid lykoteitis, even the color of the "lenses" was found. There is something for bionic designers to think about!

The light-producing glands of deep-sea octopuses and squids are just as perfect. Octopuses living near the surface, in case of danger, throw out a cloud of "inky" liquid, and deep-sea spewing a luminous cloud. The same thing happens with squid. This is understandable: after all, in the darkness of the depths, despite the luminescence of many organisms, the "ink" for setting up "smoke camouflage screens" will be useless. Therefore, the ink gland, in the process of long evolution, was transformed into an organ that produces a special mucus, which is thrown out as a light curtain.

Unfortunately, the size of the essay does not allow us to talk about other luminous animals and plants, to acquaint the reader in more detail with the phenomenon of luminescence in nature. There are still many unresolved problems in this area. We hope that the acquaintance of young readers with our story will encourage many to choose in the future the fascinating profession of biologists and hydrobiologists, zoologists and botanists. There are enough mysteries and secrets not revealed by science for everyone!

Scientists have discovered 7 new species of deep-sea worms in the Pacific Ocean. Worms from the new genus Swima are only 10 cm long. Lacking eyes, they have blade-like bristles that allow them to swim back and forth.

But this is not their main feature. Worms are distinguished by the presence of small formations glowing with a greenish light, resembling drops in shape. These formations can be thrown back, distracting the enemy in case of danger for several seconds, which gives the worms the opportunity to hide. The observations were carried out by specialists at a depth of 2,000-3,000 meters near the coasts of Mexico, California, and the Philippines.

According to scientists, the specimens found are more similar to worms living in sediments at the bottom of the ocean than to other swimming worms, according to the New York Times.

3.Luminous animals

Luminous animals - are found in many groups and in almost all types of the animal kingdom. It should be noted, however, that in some cases the glow of the animal could be a pathological phenomenon due to the presence of S. bacteria in the body of the animal.

“The ocean“ boils ”and sparkles more than the stars. An abyss of flame opens up under the ship, streams of gold, silver and hot coals burst out with noise ... A sultry day is followed by a stuffy sweet long night with a flicker in the sky, with a fiery stream underfoot, with a flutter of bliss in the air, ”the night glow poetically described Atlantic Ocean in the tropics I. A. Goncharov in 1853, during a trip around the world on the frigate "Pallada". The glow is observed in the Arctic Ocean. Academician P. P. Shirshov, an oceanologist and hydrobiologist, observed a sparkling glow in the Arctic during wintering on the Chelyuskin in 1933/34. The Soviet polar explorer K. S. Badigin, who commanded the icebreaking steamer Georgy Sedov during the famous drift, wrote on January 9, 1940: “When the water runs off, a greenish glow remains on the ice. With great excitement I follow him ... Terrible and, at the same time, beautiful, incomparable spectacle ... "
But what gives rise to this enchanting phenomenon?

sea ​​glow worried people from time immemorial, causing not only amazement and admiration, but also superstitious fear. The lack of scientific knowledge unwittingly led to fantastic explanations, which were embodied in myths, legends and fairy tales.

Even in the Renaissance, the glow of the sea was perceived as a miracle. A description has been preserved of the mysterious lights in the sea, seen by H. Columbus on the night of October 12, 1492, when the ship "Santa Maria" approached the islands of the "West Indies". The ship at the time was near Watling Island, the site of Columbus's first landing. But at the end of the 15th century, naturally, he could not unravel the nature of the lights ...

But the founder of the doctrine of the evolution of living nature, Ch. Darwin, in his “Journey on the Beagle” already described not only the glow of the sea, but also the glow of a hydroid, one of the lower invertebrate animals obtained in the sea near Tierra del Fuego: “I kept in a vessel with salt water a large bunch of these zoophytes ... When I rubbed some part of a branch in the dark, the whole animal began to strongly phosphoresce with green light; I don't think I've ever seen anything more beautiful than this. The most remarkable thing was that sparks of light rose up the branches, from their base to the ends.

We are getting closer and closer to unraveling the mystery ... Twenty years later, I. A. Goncharov, while on board the frigate "Pallada", describes the accumulation in the western part of the Pacific Ocean of the simplest unicellular organisms of the genus Noctiluca, the multi-thousandth species of Noctiluca. These tiny creatures ranging in size from 0.2 to 2 mm are widely distributed throughout almost the entire oceans.
Nightlight is also found in the Black Sea. Academician L. A. Zenkevich, an oceanologist, and N. I. Tarasov, a hydrobiologist, saw the glow of many thousands of night-lighters in the Odessa Bay and in the Sevastopol Bay even during the day!

But in the Baltic Sea, the night light does not set east of 10 gr. east longitude.
In general, the peridineans, to which the order of nocturnal luminaries belongs, are the main source of the most common sparkling glow of the sea in coastal waters. Around each luminous organism, the light is scattered, and a spot of light is formed. If there are many such luminous planktonic organisms, then the spots merge into a continuous light veil. The glow of the sea intensifies in the foamy wake behind the ship.
In addition to the sparkling, a flash glow is also observed. Outbreaks are caused by actively moving macroscopic animals and especially large representatives of plankton - jellyfish and other organisms.
The luminosity can simultaneously cover significant expanses of the sea of ​​tens and hundreds of square kilometers, or, on the contrary, form clearly limited small areas in the form of spots or stripes resembling "windmills".

Night extravaganzas

Back in the 18th century, M. V. Lomonosov wrote that “we need to think about the harmless light of rotting trees and glowing worms. Then it is necessary to write that light and heat are not always mutually connected and therefore differ.

The peoples of many countries have long observed the phenomenon of "cold" light in nature. And not only northern (polar) lights, but also night insect lights - fireflies. Of the more than a thousand species of these beetles, 20 are found in the Soviet Union. In the north and in central Russia, a firefly is common, called by the people "Ivanov's worm." In Japan, shell crustaceans of the genus cypridin are common, which are called "umihotaru" - sea ​​firefly emitting bright bluish light.

The independent “live” glow of the Ivanov worm and cypridina cannot be identified with the dependent glow of wood rot and stumps caused by the mycelium honey agaric as a result of chemical processes during oxidation. Other reasons cause the glow of rotten meat and dead fish, which was described by the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle. Of course, he did not suspect that the glow arises from the infection of meat with bacteria. The bacterial glow of a dead fish or crustacean is noticeable in the dark at a distance of up to twenty meters.

But some caterpillars and mosquitoes, sea crayfish and fish emit light due to symbiosis with bacteria. There are many types of aquatic and terrestrial light emitting bacteriain the visible part of the spectrum. Cultures of bacteria are able to glow for many years. Dutch botanist and microbiologist Martin Beijerink cultivated the same line of luminous bacteria for a quarter of a century, from 1886 to 1911. He also created one of the firstbacteria lampsby placing glowing bacteria in a glass flask. Later, in 1935, such lamps illuminated the great hall of the Paris Oceanological Institute. In our country, for more than half a century, a bacterium has been living in cultures, bearing the name of the Soviet academician B. L. Isachenko, who discovered it back in 1911. A valuable contribution to the study of luminous bacteria was made by the works of the Soviet plant physiologist and biochemist V. S. Butkevich and the microbiologist N. A. Krasilnikov.

But let's get back to the "live" light of Ivan worms. In 1834, the poet Pyotr Ershov, based on popular observations and Russian folklore, created his famous fairy tale "The Little Humpbacked Horse". Academician S.I. Vavilov, a prominent optical physicist who for a long time headed the Academy of Sciences of the USSR, aptly noted that even to an educated poet of the middle of the 19th century, “the cold glow of the firebird’s feather seemed an unrealizable, fabulous miracle.”

Firebird in reality, unfortunately, can only be seen on the stage of the theater or in the cinema. But in nature there are many real organisms that emit "living" light. However, it took the work of thousands of scientists - geographers, oceanologists and hydrobiologists, zoologists, botanists and bacteriologists, physicists, chemists and biochemists - for more than two centuries before the solution to the glow mechanism was found.

Today it is known that the cold illumination of some living organisms - bioluminescence- occurs as a result of biochemical reactions. The most common of them is the oxidation of the complex substance luciferin in the body with oxygen and the transfer of the energy formed in this case to another substance - luciferase. It is she who emits visible "living" light.

4. Conclusion.

From this work, I learned a lot about luminous animals:

1. Luminous animals live in the oceans and seas.

2. These animals glow at great depths because sunlight does not enter there.

3. These animals need living light in order to attract individuals of the opposite sex, to distract the enemy in case of danger for several seconds.

Working with the material, I learned a lot of new things.

5. List of references:

Living light in nature. Geographical collection "Globe"

Boris Yudin

Entertaining biology

Zoology with the basics of animal ecology

ON THE. Rykov

Amazing in animal life

Edited by A.S. Konstantinov, N.I. Larin

Luminescence is radiation visible light and light ranging from ultraviolet to infrared.
In nature, the phenomenon of luminescence has been known for a long time. Its study led to the discovery of X-rays and radioactivity.
Some animals have systems that allow them to produce fluorescent light to confuse or frighten an enemy.

Do you know where the tales of Firebirds and evil spirits came from? Yes, yes, yes, we are familiar with this phenomenon - luminescence!
Those who have been to the tropics could observe truly amazing underwater glows. And under certain circumstances, some have seen birds, fish, and even people glowing in the dark!

In earlier ages, people were in awe of what they saw. They mistook the birds glowing with cold fire for flying demons. Myths and fairy tales were composed about this phenomenon. Here is one of those myths.
In the annals of the cathedral, located in Staraya Ladoga, it is told that the deacon Fyodor was walking along a cliff over the Volkhov River in the autumn evening of 1864 and heard the sound of wings, similar to that of ducks. But what was the horror experienced by Fyodor when he saw a demon flying right at him! The deacon became even more frightening when the demon turned into a goose. Of course, at first no one believed Fyodor's stories, but a few days later "demons" appeared in front of other people. The most courageous tried to catch these Firebirds, but their efforts were not crowned with success. And in late autumn, the "evil spirits" disappeared.

Glowing birds are still found in the Arkhangelsk region to this day. Mostly ducks and geese. There were such meetings in the suburbs. One of the hunters once shot such a bird, and, putting it in his hunting bag, he was surprised to realize that his hands also began to flicker with a strange light. But the glow stopped while he carried his trophy home.
Scientists explain this phenomenon quite simply. According to ornithologists, special microorganisms settle on the feathers of many birds, which create an amazing glow effect.

Stripes on the water, phosphorescent with cold light, can be seen during a night boat trip along the Black Sea near the city of Sochi. Imagine a huge starry sky, in the distance - the lights of coastal villages with proud mountain peaks towering above them and the water gradually flaring up around the ship, which begins to shimmer more and more with a bluish light! The crests of the waves begin to blaze amazing light Dolphins joyfully play in these flashes. Truly, it is a magnificent sight!

And it is created by marine microorganisms. Jellyfish, some types of squid and fish, shrimps can glow.
Luminous squids were "discovered" by French scientists in 1834. Such a squid has 10 tentacles, and it is found most often in Indian Ocean and off the coast of South Africa. The phenomenon of such a glow is called chemiluminescence - this is a transition chemical energy into the light without the cost of heat.
But the phenomenon of luminous giant wheels in tropical seas is still a mystery. These wheels reach several meters in diameter, they rotate and move over the water, bringing eyewitnesses to awe. There are many eyewitnesses to this fantastic spectacle, but so far no one has been able to photograph the wheels.

Fireflies

Who among you has not met tiny fireflies twinkling in the grass with green lights? In Crimea, such fireflies are not uncommon and reach the size of a child's little fingernail. When you first see such a light in the night, you can easily mistake it for the eye of a predator. Still would! Fear has big eyes!
It happens that tropical fireflies gather in huge groups and sit on a tree, several on each leaf. Their light is visible at a distance of one and a half - two kilometers! Moreover, they simultaneously “turn on and extinguish” their “flashlights”.
It is interesting that once such fireflies saved Cuba from invaders! In the 18th century, a sea expedition landed on the island, but at night the colonialists saw a myriad of luminous lights in the forest. The British decided that the enemy forces were too great, they needed to flee before it was too late.

Glow is considered a common occurrence in nature. Therefore, the ability to emit light with a simple chemical reaction, or bioluminescence, is found in at least 50 different species of mushrooms, fireflies, and even terrifying marine life. With the help of this reaction, luminous creatures derive many benefits for themselves: they drive away predators, attract prey, rid their cells of oxygen, or simply cope with existence in the eternal darkness of the ocean depths.

One way or another, luminescence is one of the most ingenious tools of life, and we will present you with a list of the most unusual and strange creatures that can glow in the dark. Many of these species are currently on display at the American Museum. natural history in New York.

Female and male monkfish

hell squid

Glowing jellyfish

What only unusual and amazing creatures you will not meet in the sea or in the depths of the ocean. The following green-rimmed purple creatures live in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of North America. These jellyfish are capable of generating two types of glow at once. Bioluminescent has a purple-blue glow and is produced by a chemical reaction between calcium and protein. And this reaction, in turn, causes a glow around the rim of the jellyfish, forming a green fluorescent protein, and then a green glow. Scientists widely use this feature of the creature to study the visualization of processes in the body.

firewater

Surely few people know that in nature there is a phenomenon that can be compared with a luminous ocean. However, no one would refuse to personally observe the bright blue neon surf of the ocean. The thing is that the water is filled with dinoflagellates, single-celled planktonic creatures with tails, which are distributed over impressive areas off the coast. Scientists believe that these creatures have inhabited our planet for a billion years, and for the past few millennia, puzzled people have tended to attribute this phenomenon to the mysterious magic of the sea gods.

big mouth

In order to forage for food, this fish first uses bioluminescence to cause fluorescence in the form of red lights in the area near the nose, and then emits red pulses to detect shrimp. When the prey is found, the signal is released and the jaw is activated. The ingenious predator takes advantage of the fact that shrimp, like many other inhabitants of the sea, cannot recognize red light.

sistellaspice shrimp

However, not all shrimp are so malleable and easily accessible to predators. For example, sistellaspis shrimp have excellent protection, including against large mouths. These shrimp disarm predators by spitting a nasty glowing liquid from their tail right in front of their mouths.

coral wall

A 1,000-foot-high bloody wall of glowing coral has been discovered in the Cayman Islands. This interesting phenomenon became possible due to the fact that many bioluminescent creatures have found refuge here. Many scuba divers take pictures of how corals transform their red color into an amazing green glow.