First 'glowing' sea turtle found

[WillParkinson]

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/09/150928-sea-turtles-hawksbill-glowing-biofluorescence-coral-reef-ocean-animals-science150928-sea-turtles-hawksbill-glowing-biofluorescence-coral-reef-ocean-animals-science/?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Social&utm_content=link_fb20150928news-glowingturtleexclusive&utm_campaign=Content&sf13576809=1

Yes, this sea turtle is glowing neon green and red. No, it's not radioactive.


The critically endangered hawksbill sea turtle is the first reptile scientists have seen exhibiting biofluorescence—the ability to reflect the blue light hitting a surface and re-emit it as a different color. The most common colors are green, red, and orange.

Biofluorescence is different from bioluminescence, in which animals either produce their own light through a series of chemical reactions, or host bacteria that give off light.

Corals fluoresce, and recent research has found the ability in a number of fish, sharks, rays, tiny crustaceans called copepods, and mantis shrimp. But researchers never expected to find it in a marine reptile. (See pictures of other animals that glow.)

"I've been [studying turtles] for a long time and I don't think anyone's ever seen this," says Alexander Gaos, director of the Eastern Pacific Hawksbill Initiative, who was not involved in the find. "This is really quite amazing."

[haikugal]

1. Gorgeous! What an amazing world we live in...Thanks!

[DebJ]

2. Christmas Turtle! n/t

[SunSeeker]

3. Beautiful! Thanks for the post. nt

[PosterChild]

4. I think this amazing ability may have an unexpected survival benifit . ...

,... it may create enough human interest that their protected status is increased !

[Darb]

5. Looked to me like it reflected their light,

not emitted bio-luminescent light.

Not sure that there is a difference, but other bio-luminescent creatures seem to produce the light themselves, not just reflect the light from another source.