To Warn Animals sometimes use their light
to chase away threats. When it’s in danger, the small clusterwink sea snail shines a green light through its shell. Te shell splinters and spreads the
light. Scientists say that this helps to chase away predators. It makes the snail look bigger than it really is. Even tiny creatures can glow. One
tiny creature lives in the ocean. Its body can make light. When it feels threatened, it lights up with brilliant flashes. Ships and their waves can cause many of them to glow.
To Hide In the open ocean, there’s no place to
hide. Or is there? Some creatures use their light to hide in plain sight. One type of fish has a pattern of
lights on its underside. At dusk, this fish swims close to the surface to find food. Predators below can see it. Its dark shape shows up in the moonlight. But then the fish’s lights snap on.
Te fish is now much harder to spot from below. Te bright lights on the fish’s belly blend in with the light that’s coming from above the surface. Now it can continue to search for food without being seen from below.
8 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC EXPLORER
A Look to the Future Scientists think they can learn a
lot from animals that make their own light. Some think they can use bioluminescence to make life easier and safer for people. For example, some scientists
are looking for ways to use light to find pollutants in the environment. Bioluminescent trees could help light city streets. Crops could glow when they need water. Learning to use light like the animals could mean the secret to many successes!
WORDWISE
adaptation: a body part or behavior that helps a plant or animal survive
bioluminescence: a light produced by chemical reactions within a living organism
predator: an animal that kills and eats other animals
prey: an animal eaten by other animals
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