Douglas
Main, OurAmazingPlanet Staff Writer
Austin
Powers' Dr. Evil had one simple request: "sharks with frickin' laser beams
attached to their heads."
Velvet
belly lantern sharks may not satisfy that demand, but perhaps they're even
better: They come ready-made with glowing spines that look like lightsabers,
research shows.
These
deepwater sharks sport transparent spines, illuminated by a row of
light-producing cells along their dorsal fins, according to a study published today (Feb.
21) in the journal Scientific Reports.
Researchers
think the glowing cells help keep these small sharks from being eaten, warning
would-be predators that these shark-burgers come with a side of transparent
spine that would be tough to swallow. If true, this would the first fish to use
light, or bioluminescence,
to actively ward off predators, said study author Julien Claes, a researcher at
the Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium.
Strangely
enough, these sharks also have even more glowing cells on the bottom of their
bodies, which mimic the light streaming down from above, allowing them to blend
in and preventing them from being spotted from creatures below, Claes told
OurAmazingPlanet. "This counter-illumination prevents them from casting a
shadow," he said.
 |
| The glowing parts of the velvet belly lanternshark, as seen from the side. CREDIT: Dr. Jérôme Mallefet FNRS - UCL |
Glowing
on top and bottom
It's
a surprising use of seemingly contradictory strategies, said Nicolas Straube, a
researcher at the College of Charleston who wasn't involved in the study.
"It seems [contradictory] on the first glance, but the
counter-illumination is used to be invisible from potential predators attacking
from below, while the spines could only be seen by predators attacking sideways
or from above and it seems to be evolutionarily advantageous, to warn potential
attackers beforehand: If you try to eat me, you will be pierced by these two
nice spines," he said. "So, the two strategies may in fact work well
in concert."
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