An evening paddle through bioluminescent waters on a kayak holds its own beauty, add dolphin watching and you’re in for a true “pinch me is this real” experience.
A man on a kayak was able to capture the moment a dolphin arrived looking for its next meal. The camera follows the dolphin as it swims through a plethora of living organisms illuminating the dark waters around them.
You can hear the man marvel as the dolphin’s search for its food lights up the sea.
The video shows the dolphin bobbing up and diving down a handful of times in close proximity to the man’s kayak.
Why was the water glowing like that?
The short answer: bioluminescence
The light in the water is created by a chemical reaction from a living organism. The organism must contain luciferin, a molecule that produces light when it reacts with oxygen, according to the Smithsonian Institution.
It’s a type of chemiluminescence, a chemical reaction where light is produced, according to National Geographic.
The light that comes from bioluminescence is a “cold light” which means that less than 20% of the light generates thermal radiation, or heat.
Glowing organisms, like the ones observed in the video, are most commonly found in the ocean. Bioluminescent marine species include bacteria, algae, jellyfish, worms, crustaceans, sea stars, fish, and sharks, The Smithsonian Institution reported.
Fireflies and fungi are also classified as bioluminescent organisms but live on land. Bioluminescent organisms rarely inhabit freshwater habitats, according to National Geographic.
How dolphins and bioluminescence are connected
It may have appeared that the dolphin in the video was glowing, but the light emitted in the water came from none other than organisms there. Dolphins are often spotted swimming in glowing water, but do not glow themselves.
A dolphin’s diet consists of fish, squid and crustaceans. They usually do not chew the prey they consume, but rather break it up into smaller pieces before swallowing, according to the Whale and Dolphin Conservation of North America’s website.
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