Abstract. With advances in imaging technologies and the growing availability of specialized lights and cameras, biofluorescence is increasingly recognized

Join us for an extraordinary adventure as we explore the fascinating world of biofluorescence!

Despite being in the scientific spotlight for centuries, the fire salamander’s biofluorescence was overlooked until now.

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Researchers have discovered that fire salamanders can produce a striking cyan-green fluorescence when exposed to ultraviolet light.

Researchers have discovered that fire salamanders can produce a striking cyan-green fluorescence when exposed to ultraviolet light. Fire salamanders are famous for their vivid yellow and black warning colors, but part of their appearance remains invisible to human eyes. Researchers have found that when ultraviolet light strikes the animals, their skin and defensive secretions emit a cyan-green fluorescence that may persist for more than 24 hours after the secretions are released. The fluorescence is strongest in the salamanders’ yellow underside and along the sides of the body. It originates mainly from skin glands and the substances they produce, suggesting that the phenomenon is closely connected to the same tissues involved in the animal’s chemical defenses. A Hidden Glow in a Familiar Amphibian “It is fascinating that such a well-studied species still harbors unknown phenomena like this. It reminds us that even the most familiar organisms can hide secrets that are only revealed when they are observed with new tools,” says Bernat Burriel, researcher at the Museum of Natural Sciences in Barcelona and first author of the work. Biofluorescence occurs when a substance absorbs light at one wavelength and releases it at another. In the fire salamander, compounds in the skin...

Researchers have discovered that fire salamanders can produce a striking cyan-green fluorescence when exposed to ultraviolet light. Fire salamanders are famous for their vivid yellow and black warning colors, but part of their appearance remains invisible to human eyes. Researchers have found that when ultraviolet light strikes the animals, their skin and defensive secretions emit [...]