Bioluminescent Spots

Newnes Glow Worm Tunnel in New South Wales, Australia
New South Wales, Australia

Newnes Glow Worm Tunnel

Once the path of a railway tunnel now home to thousands of glowing insects

Sometimes abandoned man-made structures turn into dangerous eyesores, rotting away slowly before returning to nature or being torn down... »

Fascinating Fauna | Submitted by CPilgrim

The Milky Seas in Africa, Globe
Africa, Globe

The Milky Seas

The world's largest bioluminescent area undiscovered by science until 2005

The world's largest bioluminescent area, a patch of ocean roughly the size of Connecticut, went undiscovered by science until 2005. Known as the "milky sea," it has long been a subject of folklore within the sailing world... »

Natural Wonders | Submitted by Dylan

The Glowing Clams of Great Britain in Compton Abbas, U.K.
Compton Abbas, U.K.

The Glowing Clams of Great Britain

A midnight snack that lights up the night

Where the River Lym flows into the Lyme Regis a Roman villa was discovered with shellfish shells strewn about the floor. The remnants of a magical midnight snack. The pholas dactylus or common piddok is a strange little bivalve... »

Watery Wonders | Submitted by Dylan

The Firefly Squid of Toyama Bay in Toyama, Japan
Toyama, Japan

The Firefly Squid of Toyama Bay

Bioluminescent firefly squid light up this Japanese fishing port

Watasenia scintillans, or the Firefly Squid, is only 3 inches long, but packs a stunning feature in that small package. At the end of their tentacles are special organs called photophores that light up like glow sticks at a rave... »

Watery Wonders | Submitted by Dylan

Fireflies of the Great Smoky Mountains in Fort Harry, Tennessee
Fort Harry, Tennessee

Fireflies of the Great Smoky Mountains

For two weeks every June fireflies in the Smokey Mountains perform an astonishing light show

America's fireflies have been keeping a secret. In 1680, the Dutch physician Engelbert Kaempfer, on a voyage down the Meinam River in Siam, recorded one of the earliest Western accounts of the coordinated flashing of Asian fireflies: “A whole swar... »

Natural Wonders | Submitted by Dylan

Mosquito bay in

Mosquito bay

The world's most bioluminescent bay

At night, Mosquito Bay flashes green with an eerie ethereal light. Bright blue tracer lines suddenly appear in the water as small fish dart through the blackness... »

Watery Wonders | Submitted by Dylan

Flashing Fireflies of Kampung Kuantan in

Flashing Fireflies of Kampung Kuantan

Malaysian fireflies create a dazzling display as thousands light up in unison

A small number of firely species perform an astonishing collective trick: They light up as one. Tens of thousands of fireflies will blink in perfect unison for minutes, sometimes hours, at a time... »

Fascinating Fauna | Submitted by Dylan

Waitomo Glowworm Caves in Waitomo Caves, New Zealand
Waitomo Caves, New Zealand

Waitomo Glowworm Caves

A cave lit with glowworms

In 1887, English surveyor Fred Mace and local Maori Chief Tane Tinorau decided to explore the Caves of Waitomo... »

Fascinating Fauna | Submitted by michelle