November 25, 2020: Fluorescent Crab
Image courtesy of Bioluminescence 2009 Expedition, NOAA/OER. Download larger version (jpg, 121 KB).
While deep areas of the ocean are almost completely dark, light still plays an important role in these environments. The ability of an organism to create its own light could put it at a competitive advantage in situations such as during the hunt for food, evading predators, or finding mates. Marine animals produce their own light primarily by three different processes: bioluminescence, fluorescence, and phosphorescence. Learn more about each of these phenomena in this ocean fact.
This image shows a crab with fluorescent bristles on mouthparts.