Monday, September 28, 2015

Glowing Turtles Discovered

Sept 28, 2015: National Geographic's David Gruber discovers a biofluorescent sea turtle near the Solomon Islands. 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.  To watch the video click here.
















Biofluorescence is different from bioluminescence, in which animals, fish and corals either produce their own light through a series of chemical reactions, or host bacteria that give off light.But researchers never expected to find it in a marine reptile.

1 comment: