Recent intriguing research has unveiled that fluorescence is much more common in mammals than previously believed, although its purpose remains a mystery.
Scientists conducted a study involving 125 species and discovered that 86 percent of them exhibited fur that glowed under UV light, and all of them displayed some form of fluorescence. Their findings have been published in the journal Royal Society Open Science.
Dr. Kenny Travouillon, the lead author of the study and curator of mammalogy at the Western Australian Museum, expressed surprise at the prevalence of glowing skin or fur in mammals, stating, “We didn’t know that so many mammals had glowing skin or glowing fur.”
Fluorescence refers to the emission of light by a substance that has absorbed light or other electromagnetic radiation. Animals with this ability tend to emit a glow under UV light because proteins in their fur or skin absorb the radiation and re-emit it as visible light.
Furthermore, Travouillon noted that all mammals, including humans, possess fluorescent teeth, and many also exhibit fluorescence in their nails.
In the case of the dwarf spinner dolphin, the researchers discovered that its teeth were the only body part displaying fluorescence.
To investigate this phenomenon further, the researchers analyzed preserved and frozen animal specimens, primarily sourced from the collection of the Western Australian Museum. This approach was chosen to eliminate the possibility that the observed fluorescence was a result of the preservation process.
While the study acknowledged that the intensity of fluorescence in some specimens could be influenced by the preservation method, it shed light on the widespread presence of fluorescence in mammals, raising questions about its function and significance.
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