Glowing Sea Creatures: Fluorescent Species Discovered in the Waters of Egypt and Indonesia [Study]

Glowing sea creatures, ranging from corals to fish, mollusks, and crustaceans have been discovered by scientists in Egypt's Red Sea in the Middle East and Indonesia's Banda Sea in Southeast Asia. Despite living in different marine environments separated by thousands of miles, the creatures in both regions are capable of fluorescence, according to a new study led by researchers in Germany and Indonesia.

What is Fluorescence?

Fluorescence, a type of luminescence, is a phenomenon where some solid, liquid, or gaseous chemicals emit visible light after absorbing radiation like ultraviolet light which is not normally visible to the naked eye. This is according to McGill University in Canada, which was not involved in the new study.

While fluorescence can happen on non-living material, various research has shown that the glowing phenomenon also happens to animals and plants, as well as bacteria and fungi. Aside from sea-dwelling creatures, biological fluorescence can also happen in mammals, as stated by scientists in a 2023 study published in the journal Royal Society Open Science.

Glowing Sea Creatures

This year, researchers from Germany and Indonesia revealed the discovery of never-before-seen fluorescent organisms in the Banda Sea and in the Red Sea. During night dives, scientists were able to glimpse and photograph the light-emitting marine animals for the first time.

Novel observations and findings about the glowing sea creatures were published in the journal PLOS ONE on June 12.

Based on research findings led by the Ruhr University Bochum in Germany, scientists confirm the existence of other groups of fluorescent organisms in the waters of the Middle East and Southeast Asia. Previous data shows fluorescent proteins and other molecules were found on corals, fish, and jellyfish. In this context, the team extends this fascinating knowledge on glowing sea creatures, which are rare in nature.

Fluorescent Marine Species

The new research paper conducted in the Egyptian and Indonesian waters identified and described a total of 27 marine species. These animals were never described before in peer-reviewed literature, according to the authors of the study. The results of their observations yielded some of the following fluorescent species below:

• Nudibranchs
• Tunicates
• Sponges
• Invertebrates

The discovery was a result of a three-year study conducted by the research team in the said regions, where a total of more than two dozen glow-in-the-dark marine species have been found. The June 2024 research paper also highlights the uniqueness of some marine environments, where fluorescence has a significant contribution to certain physiological and behavioral responses of marine animals.

Based on previous research about fluorescence and bioluminescence on animals, scientific evidence indicates that glowing animal species are waiting to be discovered in places not yet explored by scientists. This is based on findings that marine creatures have adapted the biological feature of bioluminescence to adapt in the dark environment of the deep ocean, according to the organization Ocean Generation.