Ronald Hole / NOAA
The splendid lantern shark has three incredibly cool features. First, it’s called “the splendid lantern shark,” which is rad. I am going to start putting “the splendid” in front of my name when I introduce myself to people, too. Second, it can glow in the dark. Third, it can freakin’ turn itself invisible.
OK, the fish’s cloaking device is not effective enough to hide it from Voldemort. But Voldemort doesn’t exist, whereas the lantern shark’s invisibility powers? Totally reality. The fish has a special kind of cells called photophores that allow it to create light. Some of these cells are on its belly, and the shark uses them to mimic the sunlight that filters down into its deep ocean habitat.
If a predator is looking up from the ocean depths, normally it would see the dark outline of a tasty fish. But when the splendid lantern shark turns on its belly lights, its outline disappears. If that’s not splendid, we don’t know what is.
