March 14, 2017
by Brett Smith
The South American polka dot tree
frog (Hypsiboas punctatus) looks like
a typical green-colored frog under normal light. However, if you shine
ultraviolet light on the amphibian, it lights up in a dazzling array of bright
blues and greens.
According to a new
report in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
journal, the South American frog is the first known amphibian capable of
fluorescence, which is the ability to absorb light at short wavelengths and
send light back out at longer wavelengths.
In nature, fluorescence can be seen
in a various ocean creatures, including corals, sharks and sea turtles. It can
also be seen in land animals like scorpions and parrots. Incidentally,
fluorescence is different from bioluminescence, which is the capacity to
generate light via chemical reactions.
An Amazing Skin Pigment
The study team said they first
suspected H. punctatus might fluoresce when they discovered it had a particular
skin pigment associated with the capability. When they directed a black light
at it and discovered the frog transformed into a neon green frog. Astonished at
their finding, the scientists executed a comprehensive investigation of the
amphibian's skin. By doing this, they uncovered three molecules, hyloin-L1, L2
and G1 that are unlike the other molecules known to cause fluorescence in other
animals.
They also discovered the
molecules released of a lot of light, with nearly one-fifth the power of
moonlight. This should enough light for one frog to be seen by another.
Unfortunately, researchers do not know much about the visual systems of H.
punctatus, although they said they plan of studying it.
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