Bioluminescence in action: a cave worm from New Zealand turns caves into the eighth wonder of the world



    Many living organisms on Earth luminesce - from protozoa to insects and fish. For humans, the luminescence of living organisms is interesting both from a scientific point of view and from a purely artistic point of view: who doesn’t admire the glowing waves of the night surf? You can find many photos of living organisms on Google that can glow, but I suggest paying attention to one interesting view - Arachnocampa luminosa.

    This is a worm that lives in the caves of New Zealand, and illuminates the vaults of the cave, because of which the natural formation becomes like the house of some alien. A photographer from Auckland named Joseph Michael decided to capture the beauty of the caves where this worm settled.

    According to Michael, who has been studying caves for months, the combination of bioluminescence, the coolness of the caves and the sound of flowing water leaves a lasting impression. “After spending the night in the cave, when you get out, the sounds of birds and insects seem very intense,” says the photographer. Now Michael is addicted to his hobby, and now spends a lot of time in these caves.

    He has already explored several cave systems, some of which were formed 30 million years ago. He slightly decorated some of the shots by adding a few LEDs, but most of the photographs are caves and Arachnocampa luminosa illuminating them, without LEDs.

    The main tool for work is the Nikon D810, which the photographer considers the best camera for working in the dark. In addition, the photographer uses a long exposure time - from 5 minutes to an hour.




















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