In News
- A glowing snailfish (Liparis gibbus) with antifreeze proteins flowing through its veins has been found by scientists underneath a Greenland iceberg.
- This allows snailfish to prevent ice crystals from accumulating in their cells and body fluid.
About the Discovery
- The discovery of the Greenland snailfish also leads to the first documented biofluorescent fish in the Arctic.
- Experts claim that it is rare for a marine animal to exhibit biofluorescence, the ability of some living organisms, including fish and insects, to absorb sunlight and reemit it as a different color.
- In the past, notothenioid fishes are known for possessing the antifreeze compound in their bloodstream which prevents them from freezing to death.
Snailfish
- The Liparidae, commonly known as snailfish or sea snails,are a family of marine scorpaeniform fishes.
- The Snailfish releases biofluorescence, which allows it to glow green and red in the dark arctic waters.
- Snailfish is the only polar fish reported to have biofluorescence. Biofluorescence is the ability of an organism to convert blue light into green, red, or yellow light.
- Snailfish are found in cold water—in the North Atlantic and North Pacific and the Arctic and Antarctic seas.
Source: DTE
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