Billions of Fireflies Light up a Wildlife Reserve in India

Through a phenomenon called bioluminescence, these winged beetles generate chemical reactions in a part of their abdomen known as the lantern to produce flickers of light. Of more than 2,000 species found throughout the world, only a handful coordinate their flashes into patterns and are known as synchronous fireflies. Filmmaker Sriram Murali captured a rare gathering of billions of these insects at the Anamalai Tiger Reserve in western Tamil Nadu, India. Fireflies, which spend most of their life as larvae, are critical to maintaining a balanced ecosystem. This is because larvae feed on soft-bodied insects like snails, slugs, and earthworms in large quantities. Unfortunately, fireflies are in decline around the world due to habitat loss, artificial light, and pesticide usage.
For the past ten years, Sriram Murali has been working to raise awareness of light pollution through a series of documentaries. Focusing on the reserve and its nighttime fauna, he hopes to highlight the significant role that darkness plays in the natural world.
_{^{via thisiscolossal}}

Subscribe

Notify of

new follow-up comments new replies to my comments

Label

{} [+]

Name*

Email*

Website

Label

{} [+]

Name*

Email*

Website

0 Comments

Inline Feedbacks

View all comments