glowing

Glow worms in pitch black black caves are one of the most beautiful natural phenomena we've come across. One of the most known places to visit such caves is in New Zealand, and we think that if you have a chance to visit, you absolutely should. These places are nothing short of magical, and we can only imagine the feeling of passing through a cave like that. 

Unlike their name would suggest, glow worms are not actually worms. They're part of the beetles family. But regardless of what exactly they are, their bioluminescence is absolutely stunning, and we hope that looking at their pictures will bring some magic into your day.

This is so cool and so incredibly random! It turns out, if you were to place a platypus under a blacklight, they would glow! What other amazing secrets are these creatures hiding from us?

Noted in the journal Mammalia, "shining an ultraviolet light on a platypus makes the animal's fur fluoresce with a greenish-blue tint. They're one of the few mammals known to exhibit this trait. And we're still in the dark about why they do it — if there is a reason at all."

Other animals that have exhibited this interesting trait are scorpions, lichens, puffin beaks, and believe it or not, North American flying squirrels glow bubble pink under UV light. Blue light, just a notch away from ultraviolet, turns our oceans into what looks like an indoor mini-golf course! It's also what causes multiple types of amphibians to glow green. 

Nature is lit. 

Story via The New York Times