Creatures of Light

The anglerfish attracts prey with its built-in lure that pulses with light. If another fish gets too close, it’s a meal. In the dim waters of the mid ocean, hatchetfish glow along The stoplight loosejaw uses its pulsing red light to spot a red The deep-sea siphonophore may look delicate, but it is a their undersides. By matching the faint sunlight filtering shrimp and catch it in its extendable ‘loose’ jaw. Since it is predator that paralyzes and devours its prey. This recently down from the sky, the fish camouflage themselves against almost the only fish to both produce and see red light, the discovered species entices fish to drift into its clutches with predators lurking below. Reflectors and filters direct and shrimp can’t see it. red-glowing lures that, to a fish, may resemble plankton. adjust the fish’s light.

on warm summer nights.” communications and media relations ways living creatures use bioluminescence and Interactive sections include a re-created more about Alzheimer’s and cancer,” How do fireflies and other manager at the museum. “Even infants biofluorescence. “The light may be used to at- Puerto Rican lagoon full of plankton that light said Krell. living things produce light? “It’s will like it because of the lightshow.” tract a mate, to lure prey, or to defend against up as visitors walk across it. Kids can peer For more information see dmns.org/ Frank Krell, a chemical process,” Krell said. The exhibit immerses visitors into predators. Some creatures use it to be invisible into the darkness of a New Zealand cave to creatures-of-light. DMNS ento- “In the firefly’s abdomen, specific semi-darkness to explore the variety of to predators,” Krell said. see glowworms, like long strands of stars. mologist and enzymes work in the He said some species of fireflies communi- “Glowworms produce blue light to attract curator, stands underneath a presence of oxygen cate with specific flash patterns to signal their insects into the cave,” Krell said. to produce light.” When this jellyfish is poked, spots on its rim light up like giant model of an emerald necklace. Its glow is both bioluminescent and availability and attract potential mates. “Preda- Live organisms in the exhibition—including a firefly. “The A wide variety of fluorescent. A chemical reaction produces blue bioluminescent tors can imitate the pattern to attract prey.” a scorpion, bacteria and fungi—demonstrate science be- light, and a fluorescent molecule turns the blue light to green. hind biolumi- both terrestrial and Millipedes in the Motyxia genus glow with biofluorescence. Biofluorescent organisms nescence does marine creatures can an eerie green color. absorb light and not explain its produce or reflect “The millipede produces transform it into a enchantment light. Organisms use away, rather cyanide. It lives at night different color. In it makes these a variety of body and it glows to signal to the ocean, blue light phenomena parts to emit light in predators that it is not penetrates through the even more different colors and fascinating.” safe to eat,” said Krell. water, where some for different purpos- Most bioluminescent organisms absorb it es, but the mech- organisms live in the and emit light at a anism is much the world’s oceans, from the lower energy, such as same, Krell said. shallows to the deep sea green or red. A “Does By Laurie Dunklee reflect light. In Creatures of floor. “Ocean creatures it Glow” activity lets ll that glitters isn’t gold— “Many of us have seen lawns Light, visitors move produce light to commu- visitors test everyday it might be a bug or a full of fireflies at night, though through a series of nicate. Blue light goes objects for fluores- fish. The Denver Museum perhaps not here in Colorado,” A re-created environ- deep, while red light is cence. of Nature and Science (DMNS) said Frank Krell, DMNS entomol- ments, from the famil- filtered out,” said Krell. A tank of live celebrates all living things that ogist and curatorial advisor for iar to the extreme, to GloFish demonstrates blink, glow, flash and flicker at Brittle stars, related to the exhibition. “Colorado does show light-producing how fluorescence may its Creatures of Light exhibition, starfish, light up in blue have fireflies—which are actual- organisms as differ- help detect pollution through June 10. From micro- or green when grabbed ly beetles—but not many of the ent as mushrooms and be used for med- scopic bacteria to creepy pred- by a predator. “If the kind that light up. Fireflies are and scorpions. “This ical research. “With ators in the ocean’s depths, predator swallows the more numerous in humid areas show will be a fam- cellular tagging, the presentation explores the brittle star, it will glow, because they eat snails and ily favorite because A coral reef during the day (top) and at night when lit. we use fluorescent world of bioluminescence and making it visible to larger slugs. We’re too dry in Colora- it engages kids in The vivid fluorescent colors only appear under certain proteins to see what biofluorescence: organisms predators,” Krell said. wavelengths of light. Visitors can highlight portions of A 13-foot-tall model of a jack-o’-lantern mushroom is do, although you might see them so many activities,” living cells are doing. approximately 40 times its actual size. Mushrooms that generate their own light or “So the predator spits it the coral and switch from white light to UV light to see in irrigated areas or near creeks said Maura O’Neal, how it changes color. It helps us understand glow to attract insects, which eat and then spread the out.” mushrooms’ spores.

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