Made to Shine

God designed some amazing
glow-in-the-dark creatures that
make their own light through
a chemical process called
bioluminescence (bi-o-lu-mi-NES-cents).
Let’s play a game of hide-and-seek to discover a rainbow
of shining colors from creatures
around the world.

Thousands
of glowworms
twinkle like
stars deep in
Waipu Cave,
New Zealand.

Railroad Worm

Railroad Worms

Railroad worms are not
actually worms—they are
a type of beetle. Male
railroad worms eventually
grow to look like beetles,
but female railroad worms
continue to look like larvae
even as adults. That’s why
they are sometimes called
glowworms. God gave
female railroad worms
the unique ability to glow
with two colors: red lights
on their heads and green
lights on their bodies in
long rows that look like the
bright windows of a train at
night. Railroad worms are
the only insects scientists
have found that glow with a
bioluminescent red light.

Millipedes

Millipedes spend their days
burrowed in dark, damp places.
Scientists have discovered more
than 12,000 species of these
amazing “thousand leggers,”
but only about a dozen species
glow. Some rare species are
both bioluminescent and
biofluorescent. Even though
most bioluminescent millipedes
are blind, God gave them the
instinct to know when it’s
nighttime. That’s when they
come out of hiding all aglow to
look for food. Their brightness
may warn predators that they
are poisonous.

Millipede at night (left) and during the day (right).

Bioluminescence happens when chemicals react inside a creature’s body to create light. That’s different from
biofluorescence (bi-o-flo-REH-sents), which happens when an organism absorbs light and gives off that light as another
color. You need a special light to see biofluorescence. (For example, when divers shine a blue light on the hawksbill sea
turtle, the shell gives off yellow-green, red, and orange light, even though the shell normally looks dark green.)

Firefly Squid

The firefly squid is covered in tiny organs called
photophores (foh-toh-fors) that give off deep blue
light. These lights can flash all at once or in different
patterns, similar to fireflies. Scientists believe the squid
uses these lights to communicate with other squid and
to attract prey. Firefly squid are the only squid that can
see in color, maybe so they can see the colors glowing
from other members of their species.

The firefly
squid glows
in the waters
of Toyama
Bay, Japan

Marine Algae

The oceans are filled with tiny algae that
light up. The single-celled organisms are
called dinoflagellates (di-no-fla-gel-lates),
and they live near the surface of the water.
When they are disturbed by movement,
such as by a fish looking for a meal, they
blink on their lights. The light scares the
fish away or attracts larger predators
that eat whatever is bothering the algae.
When enough of the small creatures are
bothered at the same time, such as when
a boat churns the water, their color lights
the water with a vivid blue glow.

Jervis Bay, Australia,
is famous for its
“sea sparkles,” or
bioluminescent algae.

Mushrooms

Have you ever walked into the
woods and spotted a mysterious
green glow in the trees? If so, you
may have seen something called
foxfire, the name for the glow
of mushrooms on rotting wood.
Bioluminescent mushrooms glow
green all the time, but it’s easiest
to see their light at night.

Many have crazy names such
as honey mushrooms, eternal
light mushrooms, night light
mushrooms, ghost fungus, and
jack-o’-lanterns.

These ghost
mushrooms can be
found glowing
in Australia.

Yellow-Coated Clusterwink

The yellow-coated clusterwink
snail lives in New Zealand and
Australia. When something
bothers this snail, it lets out
flashes of bluish-green light. The
glow spreads across its whole
shell, making the snail look larger
to a predator. At low tide, many
of the snails cluster and glow
together on rocks—which is why
they are called clusterwinks.

Fireflies

Fireflies have a confusing name because they
are not flies. The term firefly is actually given to
any of the 2,000 types of glowing beetles that
make their own bioluminescent light. In some
firefly species, the larvae and eggs also glow.
Because fireflies love warm, wet places, they
usually can be found lighting up near ponds,
rivers, marshes, and other water sources.

When they eat
too many fireflies,
some frogs start
to glow!

God’s Special Light

Did you know that our lives can be filled with living light? We’re not
bioluminescent like the creatures mentioned here, but in the Bible,
Jesus tells us that when we believe in him and have the Holy Spirit
leading us, our love and our actions shine. This doesn’t mean that we
actually start to glow, but the way we live stands out to others like a
flashlight in a dark place.

In John 8:12, Jesus tells us that when we love and follow him, we
will no longer walk in the darkness of sin but will be filled with his
light of life.

In Matthew 5:14–16, Jesus tells us that people who believe in him
are a light in this world and that our good works should shine like
a city on a hill. And in Ephesians 5:8, followers of Jesus are called
children of light.

Talk It Over

• Have you ever known someone
  whose actions seemed to shine
  like a light? How did this affect
  your life?
• How do the fruits of the Spirit
  help us shine with God’s light?
  (Galatians 5:22–23)
• Talk with your mom or dad
  about how you can shine
  God’s light at home, with your
  friends, or anywhere you go.