Bioluminescent Spots

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... »

Watery Wonders, Fascinating Fauna, Bioluminescent Spots | Edited by Dylan

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. But other times, like when abandoned ships are re-purposed... »

Fascinating Fauna, Curious Caves, Bioluminescent Spots, Incredible Ruins | Edited by wythe

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... »

Natural Wonders, Watery Wonders, Extraordinary Flora, Fascinating Fauna, Bioluminescent Spots | Edited by Dylan

The Gurdon Light

A mysterious light floating in the trees of Gurdon, Arkansas may be a piezoelectric effect

The Gurdon Light is said to be an errie a white-blue, sometimes orange, glowing light that moves through the trees near the railroad tracks, off Interstate 30 in southern Arkansas. Local legend... »

Bioluminescent Spots, Strange Science, Optical Oddities, Will-O-Wisps and Spooklights | Edited by michelle and M Rebekah Otto

Teylers Museum

Oldest Museum of the Netherlands is a true cabinet of curiosities

Founded with an endowment from a wealthy 18th century cloth and fabric merchant, the Teylers Museum is the oldest museum in the Netherlands, and walking into it feels like stepping back in time by... »

Bioluminescent Spots, Museums and Collections, Wonder Cabinets, Natural History, Instruments of Science, Electrical Oddities | Edited by Lupercus and M Rebekah Otto

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... »

Watery Wonders, Fascinating Fauna, Bioluminescent Spots | Edited by Dylan

Fireflies of the Great Smoky Mountains

For two weeks every June fireflies in the Smoky 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... »

Natural Wonders, Fascinating Fauna, Bioluminescent Spots | Edited by Dylan and Josh

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. But this illumination has nothing... »

Watery Wonders, Fascinating Fauna, Bioluminescent Spots | Edited by Dylan and wythe

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, Bioluminescent Spots | Edited by Dylan and Josh

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. Tinorau and Mace entered the cave system on a tiny raft where a decently sized... »

Fascinating Fauna, Curious Caves, Bioluminescent Spots | Edited by michelle and Dylan

Obscura Day is here!

Join us March 20th, 2010 in celebrating wondrous and curious places all over the world. One day, 80 unusual events in 22 countries. Watch it unfold live.

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