Skip to main content
Home
flickr Donate
Home
  • Ocean Life
    • Marine Mammals
    • Sharks & Rays
    • Reptiles
    • Seabirds
    • Fish
    • Invertebrates
    • Plankton
    • Plants & Algae
    • Microbes
  • Ecosystems
    • Coral Reefs
    • Deep Sea
    • Coasts & Shallow Water
    • Poles
    • Census of Marine Life
  • Planet Ocean
    • Tides & Currents
    • Waves, Storms & Tsunamis
    • The Seafloor
    • Temperature & Chemistry
  • Through Time
    • Ancient Seas
    • Extinctions
    • Evolution
    • The Anthropocene
  • Conservation
    • Fishing
    • Pollution
    • Habitat Destruction
    • Invasive Species
    • Acidification
    • Climate Change
    • Gulf Oil Spill
    • Solutions & Success Stories
    • Get Involved
  • Human Connections
    • Books, Film & The Arts
    • Recreation
    • Seafood
    • Exploration
    • History & Cultures
    • Careers
  • At The Museum
  • Educators

Search

Try looking up a marine animal, research topic, or information about life in the ocean.
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. Ocean Life
  3. Invertebrates
  4. Bioluminescing Dinoflagellate

Bioluminescing Dinoflagellate

A photograph of a bright blue-speckeled dinoflagellate bioluminescing at night.
(E. Widder, ORCA, www.teamorca.org)

Sunset? Time to glow! A biological clock triggers bioluminescence in the dinoflagellate Pyrocystis fusiformis. At dusk, cells produce the chemicals responsible for its light. Hear from marine scientists about what it's like to encounter bioluminescent animals in the deep sea. 

Tags: Bioluminescence
September 2011
Home
Home
  • Facebook
  • flickr
Contact Us

Explore

  • Ocean Life
  • Ecosystems
  • Planet Ocean
  • Through Time
  • Conservation
  • Human Connections
  • At the Museum
  • Educators
  • About
  • Media Archive
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy
Home
Donate