They are only found in Australia and New Zealand. Thousands of them all cluster on ceilings and walls-a myriad of bright blue lights resembling stars in the night sky.

Glow-worms ( Arachnocampa tasmaniensis) are the spectacular underground sight. Perhaps surprisingly, there are no known light-producing plants – only bioluminescent fungi.Glow-worms and its distribution in Australia A number of terrestrial creatures have also evolved to glow, but fish are the only bioluminescent vertebrates. In fact, making light has proven to be such a useful trait that it has evolved independently at least 40 times.īioluminescence is most common in the oceans – where in the deep it’s the only form of light – and according to Nature journal, an incredible 76% of ocean species are bioluminescent to some degree.

Animals on this list and produce light and use bioluminescence to: Whilst glowing animals may seem other-worldly, there are a range of practical reasons animals have evolved this special power.

So bioluminescent creatures are simply animals that produce their own light. This light is created by the organism either through a series of chemical reactions (typically a substance called luciferin reacts with oxygen as a chemical reaction to release energy in the form of light), or by a form of glowing bacteria that the animal hosts. The term ‘bioluminescence’ refers to the production of light by living organisms which is emitted from their body. The world is a wonderful place, and nature’s magic is no more in evidence than when it comes to bioluminescent animals – animals that can actually glow in the dark! What is a ‘bioluminescent animal’?

Download bioluminescent glow worms