Copepods are teeny crustaceans that play a big role in the food chain; they float around eating algae and in turn get eaten by bigger animals. This type of copepod, called Metridia, emits a glow similar to a firefly. “The thought is that they emit this blue light to scare off a predator,” said WHOI biologist Carin Ashjian during an April 2009 cruise to study the Arctic ocean ecosystem.
(Photo by Chris Linder, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)
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