How Blue Does Your Tassie Glow?

[Diggin It]

A conservation technician recently discovered that the zoo's Tasmanian Devils are biofluorescent.
That's when animals absorb high-energy light and re-emit it. It's believed to be the first documented case of the evolutionary phenomenon in Tasmanian Devils.
Jake Schoen, the technician, told the Toledo Blade, he made the discovery using a special camera, which revealed glowing blue eyes, ears and snout:

"I have a modified camera flash that is filtered, so it only releases a very specific wavelength of ultraviolet light," he said.
In a dark area of their enclosure, staff lured the two devils, Bubbles and Spiderman, near Mr. Schoen using food rewards.
"The devils came right over for some food and I could take the photo just right over the barrier," he said.

​

University of Kansas biologist Leo Smith, an expert in biofluorescence, usually studies fish. He said though it's something more commonly found in fish, it's not a first for land mammals. There are biofluorescent platypuses, squirrels and possums.

https://www.npr.org/2020/12/14/946189582/ohio-zoo-documents-1st-case-of-biofluorescence-in-tasmanian-devils

 

[MossRoad]

I've seen stuff like that when I was drinking.

 

[robstaples]

Someone must have already seen that effect, when they named them!

 

[k0ua]

That is pretty darn cool. But then again just about every animal in Australia (or Tasmania) for that matter is a little "weird" or wonderful or something.

 

[k0ua]

Not only does Tazz absorb the UV light, but it looks to me like he frequency shifts the energy to a lower frequency to make that blue spectrum.

 

[cqaigy2]

While other animals may have biofluorescent areas, it's very unusual for the effect to be in such a visible area. Most animals, like the platypus biofluorescent on the underside.

We knew platypuses were incredible. Now we know they glow, too

 

[oosik]

Can you imagine coming up on something like that on a dark night. Can you make a 180 degree turn and run like the wind - with grace? Probably not so much - with your shorts full!!

 

[tookielee]

There's a guy famous for painting like that

 

[Wakey]

Seems like every house in the NOLA area has at least one of those.

 

[Wagtail]

Someone must have already seen that effect, when they named them!

Well, sort of... their ears (inside the 'cup') are red, due to blood vessels close to the surface of the skin.

They're naturally nocturnal, so when they were first seen (by "European Settlers" of course) it was from the glow of a campfire and their ears appeared like bright red 'horns'.

Oh, and their soothing, dulcet tones can best be described as an angry scream. They're scavengers and those jaws can easily crack bones.