About 700 animal species are bioluminescent, meaning that their bodies have the ability to emit phosphorescent light. Among them is a type of cephalopod, the Watasenia Scintillans , native to the seas of Japan . Seven centimeters in length and nine grams in weight, this squid lives most of the year in the abyssal depths, but every spring it rises to the surface to spawn. This moment is awaited like May water by thousands of curious … and by the fishermen of Namerikawa, a coastal city in Toyama Bay that has developed an entire industry based on this squid. The nets are cast between March and April, and the volume of captures of these fluorescent specimens ranges between 5,000 and 7,000 tons per year; Its light properties do not prevent it from being a highly appreciated dish in Japanese cuisine.
This ability of the squid is due to the chemical reaction of an enzyme , luciferase, which produces light within special cells called photocytes and is seen in 800 organs located in its ventral mantle, another five under the eye area, and three in the tip of its tentacles.
