![]() ![]() The bioluminescence is used as bait to attract prey such as mosquitoes and midges (and occasionally cockroaches) into their tacky webs. Similar to spiders, the larvae weave webs from the cave’s ceilings that are stippled with drops of mucus. The glow is visible through their see-through abdomens and rear ends. The blue-green light the larvae emit is caused by the enzymes and pigment in their bodies mixed with oxygen in the air. ![]() There is a scientific explanation for their glow: it’s a chemical reaction. The mysterious bugs have also been depicted as supernatural creatures in poetry and fairy tales. Doctors even attempted to harness the insects’ power and use it to treat people’s ailments. They are also very tiny-just a few millimeters long-and thrive in dark, damp caves and rocky overhangs in the rainforest.Īncient people were spellbound by glow worms and believed they possessed magic powers. The insect, which looks like a maggot, is a carnivore. The glow worm, one of Australia’s most dazzling bioluminescent creatures, is actually the larvae of a fungus gnat. ![]()
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