Photo of the day

The curious glow of coral fluorescence is an unusual phenomenon, and one that scientists are still trying to demystify. The neon color shift we see today sometimes occurs after coral is bleached, an event where the light-sensitive algal inhabitant zooxanthellae withdraws from the inhospitable, ghostly white skeleton as it can no longer support its function. Fluorescing acts as a natural “sunscreen” to protect the coral, helping to entice the zooxanthellae to return back to their ancient hosts, and provide nutrition for the coral once again ❤️‍🩹