Bioluminescent Octopus Discovered

How does an octopus see as it drifts along in deep water off the U.S. Atlantic Coast? Its suckers give off blue-green bioluminescent light, according to discoverer Edith A. Widder of Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution in Fort Pierce, Fla. (ABC News carried a video.)

Widder's latest discovery adds another bioluminescent octopus to the two or three other known species and the hundreds of other species of bioluminescent species in the oceans. This discovery also shows that there is still plenty for a researcher to learn - this octopus had been known for about 100 years but no one knew it had bioluminescent qualities.

Bioluminescence, according to The Bioluminescence Web Page, is light produced by a reaction of at least two chemicals within an organism. This excellent web page explains, if I understand correctly, that the chemical luciferase oxidizes another chemical, luciferin, which produces light and an inactive chemical, oxyluciferin. The moving diagram on this page really brings this reaction to light (pun intended).

Don't let this brief chemistry lesson confuse you. Apparently the chemistry is important because contrary to belief, the web pages say, most animals that exhibit bioluminescence do so with chemicals. This is contrary to the myth that the light is emitted by luminous bacteria, although such bacteria are responsible for some of the light in some species, the web page says.

Bioluminescence, the web page explains, is different from other light-emitting phenomena, fluorescence, phosphorescence and chemiluminescence. Interestingly enough, flourescence, the page explains, is responsible for laundry detergents getting clothing "whiter than white" and phosphorescence is responsible for the glow in glow-in-the-dark stickers. Read the original if you want to figure all this out. Once you are clear on this, confuse yourself more with all the other "escences".

"Because bioluminescence is so common," according to Widder's departmental web pages, "it can serve as a useful tool for mapping organism distribution patterns." According to this web page, "In the mesopelagic zone (200-1000 m), approximately 90% of all the animals (fish, shrimp, squid, and gelatinous zooplankton) are bioluminescent."

More information
The Bioluminescence Web Page is excellent. It has great images, is put together well and is easy to understand.

Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute. This site's frames and navigation will drive you crazy but it has good information and images.

Scripps Institution of Oceanography | Web Sites

Home Page for Bioluminescence. See the electric pickle.

Stanford Marine Botany Class of 1996 shows on my computer one of the the worst color combinations you'll wish you hadn't seen.

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