WELLINGTON – Scientists said 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.
One of them, the kitefin shark, is now the largest known luminous vertebrate and can reach up to 180 centimeters.
Bioluminescence was also confirmed in the blackbelly lanternshark and southern lanternshark.
This is the first time that the phenomenon of bioluminescence – organisms emitting light – has been identified in them.
The researchers suggested the sharks’ glowing underbellies may help them hide from predators or other threats beneath them adding that bioluminescence is achieved through thousands of photophores (light-producing cells) located within the sharks’ skin.(BBC)
