Pyrocystis fusiformis (E. Widder)
Crustaceans
Crustaceans are like the insects of the sea and like insects on land, they come in many different shapes and sizes. Copepods, like the one shown here, are the most common form, and many, like this one, are bioluminescent. Copepods usually release their bioluminescent chemicals into the water to produce a glowing cloud of light. This luminous smoke screen serves to distract or blind an attacker while the copepod beats a hasty retreat into the darkness. Gaussia (right) releases its chemicals from glands located on its tail. Click on the animal's tail for a closer view.
Another copepod, Euaugaptilus magnus, discharges light from its hind legs. The shrimp-like euphausiids (right) are a very important part of the marine food web. Also known as krill, euphausiids are a vital food source for baleen whales, seals, fishes and birds. Except for one relatively rare, deep water species, all krill are bioluminescent. Unlike the copepods, they keep their bioluminescence inside their bodies, packaged in light organs called photophores. Click on the animal to see where these light organs in action.
Click on the button to the right to learn about bioluminescent jellies and fish.
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LIVING LIGHTS
Dinoflagellates
Dinoflagellates are single-celled plankton. There are several thousand different species and they come in many different forms. Many, like this one, are bioluminescent. This is Pyrocystis fusiformis, which means spindle-shaped fire cell. But the light doesn't come from fire at all. This light comes from little packages of chemicals that are spread throughout the cell. This cell gets the energy to make these chemicals from the sun. Like many dinoflagellates it is photosynthetic. There are many bioluminescent dinoflagellates which are not photosynthetic and they get the energy needed to synthesize their chemicals by eating other, smaller plankton. Dinoflagellates are the most common source of brilliant bioluminescence in surface waters.
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Gaussia princeps (T. Frank)
Euphausia sp. (T. Frank)
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