Gakuranman.com – illuminating Japan

Ever seen what the ovary of that bioluminescent deep sea monstrosity the anglerfish looks like? How about the mouth of a sea urchin, oral surface of a starfish or a freshwater dinoflagellate? Dig into this collection of microscopic photographs that show just how much we’re really not seeing in our everyday lives.

I’m the proud owner of some wonderful fan art! Dave from The Ramen Blues (also the artist behind my Gakuranman image) has kindly drawn me this fantastic piece!

Known as ‘Heavenly light mushrooms’, these bioluminescent fungi are not our usual shade of sapphire blue found often found in the deep sea, but an eerie emerald green colour. Just in time for Christmas then. They are Japan’s Mycena lux-coeli mushrooms, found in the Southern Wakayama prefecture. Apparently the mushrooms only sprout for a few [...]

A great video I discovered on another Japan-themed blog recently. Three fascinating deep sea creatures strutting their stuff; the Firefly Squid (arguably Japan’s most recognisable bioluminescent organism), some dinoflagellates (glow-in-the-dark plankton) and the rainbow-like comb-jelly, which looks more like a circus merry-go-round in the dark than a deep-sea lifeform!

Ever wondered why the sky and ocean are blue? But why is water near the coast usually green? And how about animals in the deep, black depths of the sea – what colour are they? Read below for a very basic introduction to bioluminescence, colour and light in the deep sea and find out the [...]