Of Popular Mechanics
-
Scientists have discovered how deep-sea fish essentially disappear from sight to evade predators.
-
A new article describes how various fish can absorb almost all of the light emitted by bioluminescent deep-sea creatures thanks to specialized melanosomes.
The oceanic abyss is home to some of the most twisted creatures on Earth. But slowly, the amazing biological secrets of these deep-sea fish, which live most of their lives in near-total darkness, are slowly coming to light.
A new study published in Current biology reveals that ultra black fish, including Poromitra crassiceps, Idiacanthus antrostomusand Anoplogaster cornuta—They have the capacity to absorb almost all of the light that touches your skin. According to the researchers, including scientists from the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History and Duke University, these fish “can reduce the viewing distance of visual predators more than 6 times compared to fish with two percent reflectance “
Fish can absorb almost all light thanks to a combination of what researchers call super-absorbent scattering particles, which could help inspire the creation of ultra-black materials for modern applications.
The team estimates that these ultra-black deep-sea fish have the ability to absorb 99.5 percent of all the light they find. Karen Osborn, a Smithsonian zoologist who worked on the research, says that no matter what type of advanced equipment was used and no matter “how the camera or lighting is configured,” the deep-sea fish “simply absorbed all the light. “
Soon Osborn and his team discovered what made it so difficult to capture viable photos of the fish – they were ultra black. Think blacker than the darkest black you’ve ever seen. Highly reflective mirrored surfaces can be a useful camouflage for marine animals living near the surface, but for deep-sea creatures, a spark of bioluminescent lighting against a reflective surface, such as fish scales, could be the difference between staying safely hidden and being discovered by a hungry predator.
In their article, the researchers describe how pigmentation helps fish absorb light emitted by bioluminescent sources, “making them visually undetectable.” The researchers found that this camouflage is likely made possible by “a continuous layer of densely packed melanosomes. [pigments which give tissue color and help with photoreception] in the outermost layer of the dermis. “Melanosomes are arranged in both size and shape to minimize the amount of light reflecting off them.
The press release reveals that these fish are so good at absorbing light “that even in bright light they appear to be silhouettes with no noticeable characteristics.” In the darkness of the ocean, even surrounded by bioluminescent light, they literally disappear. “
You might also like
