Article 5EW54 Glow-in-the-Dark Sharks Found off New Zealand Coast

Glow-in-the-Dark Sharks Found off New Zealand Coast

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Glow-in-the-dark sharks found off New Zealand coast:

Scientists say they have found that three deepwater shark species living off New Zealand glow in the dark.

The species were collected from the Chatham Rise - an area of ocean floor to the east of New Zealand - in January of last year, according to the study.

[...] The three species were already known to marine biologists but this is the first time that the phenomenon of bioluminescence - organisms emitting light - has been identified in them.

The researchers suggest the sharks' glowing underbellies may help them hide from predators or other threats beneath them.

They say the bioluminescence is achieved through thousands of photophores (light-producing cells) located within the sharks' skin.

[...] The three studied species inhabit a space called the mesopelagic zone, often called the twilight zone, which ranges from 200m to 1,000m depth (the maximum depth reached by sunlight).

The species in question face an environment with no place to hide, hence the need for counterillumination as a form of camouflage, the researchers add.

(Emphasis in original omitted.)

Journal Reference:
Jerome Mallefet, Darren W. Stevens, Laurent Duchatelet. Bioluminescence of the Largest Luminous Vertebrate, the Kitefin Shark, Dalatias licha: First Insights and Comparative Aspects, Frontiers in Marine Science (DOI: 10.3389/fmars.2021.633582)

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