One of them is the largest-known bio-luminous vertebrate
New Zealand, Mar 2: Researchers have discovered three deep-sea sharks that glow in the dark, including one that is the largest known luminous vertebrate (animals that have a backbone or spinal column) in a recent study.
A kitefin shark, a blackbelly lantern shark, and a southern lantern shark were found during a survey off the Chatham rise, an oceanic area off New Zealand’s east coast. They all show bioluminescence (the production of visible light through a chemical reaction by living organisms). The kitefin shark is now the largest-known luminous underwater creature.
The three new shark species all live in what is often called the ocean’s “twilight zone,” ranging between 200 and 1000 meters (3,200 feet) below sea level, beyond which solar light does not penetrate. In a clean blue sea background, these sharks need the blue glow to camouflage and protect themselves against predators.
