Tired of being in the dark about the scorpion's night light abilities? Let's shed some light on the subject.
Most scorpions glow in the dark. Only it's not the dark that makes them glow. It's light. And not just any light – it's ultraviolet light that illuminates these arachnids. We can't see ultraviolet light; our eyes cannot detect it. At night, the moon reflects the sun's ultraviolet light. The light causes the scorpion's exoskeleton to glow.
Scientists call this quality biofluorescence. It's when organisms absorb sunlight and transform it. They emit the light as a different frequency or colour. This is different from bioluminescence, which is when living things can produce their own light.
Compounds in the exoskeleton of the scorpion cause fluorescence. But no one understands exactly how this helps scorpions to survive. Scientists have proposed a few theories. Perhaps glowing makes it easier to find other scorpions. Or is it to look for places to hide at night? Does it catch more insects? So many questions, but finding the answers will take time.
Here's what we know so far: most scorpions glow under ultraviolet light, but when it comes to why, we're still in the dark.
Image source: "Scorpion In UV Light" by jkirkhart35 is licensed under CC BY 2.0.