Activities Report Mar 2000 Newsletter
Firefly facts (Compiled by Sarah Sabaratnam)
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ONE hundred per cent of a firefly's glow is given off as light. By comparison,
a normal electric light bulb gives off 10 per cent of its energy as light,
while 90 per cent is wasted as heat.
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All known firefly larvae have photic organs that produce light but not
all firefly species are bioluminescent as adult.
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Fireflies that glow use a species specific flash pattern to attract members
of the opposite sex
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What makes a glow? Fireflies have a special chemical inside their wee bodies,
called luciferin. As air rushes into a firefly's body, it intermingles
with this luciferin, and as a reaction, generates light.
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Fireflies are also known as glowworms, lightning bugs, or kelip-kelip (in
Bahasa Malaysia).
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Created on 15th Mar 2000