Swimming into the twilight zone: The wonders of the lantern fish

Swimming into the twilight zone: The wonders of the lantern fish

Source: CBC News

10/30/2021

Way down in a spooky part of the ocean called the twilight zone lives the lantern fish.

Aptly named, this flashy fish emits its own light; lantern fish have organs on their bodies, called photophores, that produce a molecule called luciferin that, when combined with oxygen, makes a blue-green light. The same way fireflies glow on land, lantern fish can glow underwater, an effect called bioluminescence.

Lantern fish are mesopelagic, meaning they live between 200 and 1,000 below the water's surface. In this twilight zone, there's very little light — less than one per cent of the light at the water's surface — but not complete blackness.

But why do lantern fish light up? According to Maxime Geoffroy, a fisheries researcher scientist at the Marine Institute in St. John's, the reasons are not fully understood.

The fish might be communicating with each other to signal danger lurking in the depths, he said.

"We know they produce light when they are stressed. So that's one hint that it's probably a reaction to predation or to fear.… The bioluminescence is being used to camouflage so their predators have trouble seeing them," said Geoffroy.

Benthosema glaciale

Continue...

News Id		Source	Stamp	country
4201	Agriculture minister refutes accusations about Animal Health	comoxvalleyrecord	2012-06-05	US
4202	Survey: Most Ohio Voters Worry About Invasive Fish	fox8	2012-06-05	CA
4203	Leaping sturgeon injures woman in Suwanee River	jacksonville	2012-06-05	US
4204	Why ‘River Monsters’ still rules reality television	hollywoodsoapbox	2012-05-29	US
4205	Otsego angler facing jail time, possible $3,000 fine	hometownsource	2012-05-29	US
4206	Pacific Bluefin Tuna Carrying Fukushima Radioactivity To California Coast	Underwatertimes	2012-05-29	US
4207	Rare encounter between 2 wild, shrieking lynx caught on video	CBC News	2018-05-21	CA
4208	Caught on cam: Dramatic river rescue at Little Qualicum Falls	ctvnews	2020-12-14	CA
4209	Rescue crews save man from raging Little Qualicum River waters	pqbnews	2020-12-13	CA
4210	Some Green Groups Oppose Lower Snake River Dam Removal Plan	Associated Press	2021-03-27	US
4211	Minnesota, Wisconsin DNR Tackle Invasive Carp on Mississippi	Associated Press	2021-03-31	US
4212	Rhode Island Moves up Start of Trout Fishing Season	Associated Press	2021-03-28	US
4213	North Carolina man found dead in river after jumping in to save son	Fox News	2021-03-24	US
4214	Canadian Coal Company Pays $60M for Environmental Damage	Associated Press	2021-03-29	US
4215	Behind the scenes at the Fish Hospital at Atlantis Dubai	CNN	2021-03-22	SA
4216	Biofluorescent fish documented in the Arctic for the first time	upi	2021-03-18	US
4217	Is your fish a fake? How to spot seafood fraud and what to do if you're suspicious	theguardian	2021-03-15	UK
4218	“Rock Snot” Invasive Algae Found in Delaware River, Threatens Trout Fishing	nbcnewyork	2012-04-30	US
4219	Florida in invasive fish fight	upi	2012-05-01	US
4220	Salmon poacher becomes first person to be convicted on evidence from underwater cameras	dailyrecord	2012-04-18	UK
4221	N.S. salmon farm told to destroy all fish	CBC News	2012-04-26	CA
4222	It's The Bowl That Makes Goldfish Stupid; Fish Brains Adjust To Meet Environmental Needs	underwatertimes	2012-04-25	FI
4223	Young fisherman, 13, reels in huge fish that weighs 46.9lbs and is as big as him	dailymail	2012-04-24	UK
4224	Salmon farms 'polluting' lochs in Scotland	bbc	2012-04-20	UK
4225	Yellowfin tuna is enormous (427.9 pounds), but no record	petethomasoutdoors	2013-04-16	MX

168 of [218 - pages.]