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| Bioluminescence in birds?; Is it possible | |
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| Topic Started: Jul 16 2017, 11:22 PM (1,115 Views) | |
| 9Weegee | Jul 16 2017, 11:22 PM Post #1 |
Newborn
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I know that my last post was about birds, but I have another question Birds have been able to evolve many types of ways to show of their feathers, like Psittacofulvians, and Poryphyrins, but I was wondering if it's possible for birds to achieve bioluminescence. really, but what i'm asking is that, Is bioluminescence in the same group as stuff like the Tyndall effect, or Iridescence |
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| IIGSY | Jul 16 2017, 11:29 PM Post #2 |
A huntsman spider that wastes time on the internet because it has nothing better to do
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It is a bit strange that there is no bio luminescent tetrapods. But I don't see why birds would need it seeing as they can be extremely colorful and have amazing color vision. |
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Projects Punga: A terraformed world with no vertebrates Last one crawling: The last arthropod ARTH-6810: A world without vertebrates (It's ded, but you can still read I guess) Potential ideas- Swamp world: A world covered in lakes, with the largest being caspian sized. Nematozoic: After a mass extinction of ultimate proportions, a single species of nematode is the only surviving animal. Tri-devonian: A devonian like ecosystem with holocene species on three different continents. Quotes Phylogeny of the arthropods and some related groups In honor of the greatest clade of all time More pictures Other cool things All African countries can fit into Brazil
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| 9Weegee | Jul 16 2017, 11:37 PM Post #3 |
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Newborn
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I'd like to have you know that there are bioluminescent tetrapods. https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/13/24/d0/1324d0810bf607629804d5bb8a766679.jpg I may not be true, but I believe you got that statement from a video about the Ropen |
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| IIGSY | Jul 16 2017, 11:43 PM Post #4 |
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A huntsman spider that wastes time on the internet because it has nothing better to do
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Oh. First glass frogs, now this. You know, some things that some amphibians do are reminiscent of deep sea fish. |
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Projects Punga: A terraformed world with no vertebrates Last one crawling: The last arthropod ARTH-6810: A world without vertebrates (It's ded, but you can still read I guess) Potential ideas- Swamp world: A world covered in lakes, with the largest being caspian sized. Nematozoic: After a mass extinction of ultimate proportions, a single species of nematode is the only surviving animal. Tri-devonian: A devonian like ecosystem with holocene species on three different continents. Quotes Phylogeny of the arthropods and some related groups In honor of the greatest clade of all time More pictures Other cool things All African countries can fit into Brazil
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| Sheather | Jul 16 2017, 11:45 PM Post #5 |
 
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That's not a bioluminescent tetrapod, it's a fluorescent tetrapod. |
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| 9Weegee | Jul 16 2017, 11:47 PM Post #6 |
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Newborn
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Oh. First glass frogs, now this. You know, some things that some amphibians do are reminiscent of deep sea fish.[/quote]And? The main question here is that is it possible. and why can't the "Deep sea fish" thing return to birds? |
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| 9Weegee | Jul 16 2017, 11:49 PM Post #7 |
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Newborn
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well shit. maybe we can through Fluorescence in the bunch. Lets just say, "Can a bird's feathers be fluorescent/bioluminescent? |
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| Talenkauen | Jul 17 2017, 12:06 AM Post #8 |
Perpetually paranoid iguanodont
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I'm pretty sure that no tetrapod in existence has been truly luminescent. Only fluorescent. There are a few tropical birds that are biofluorescent, but non that are bioluminescent. The only few known bioluminescent vertebrates are fish. |
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PLEASE NOTE: If I come off as harsh or demanding whilst talking to you, please tell me. I apologize in advance..... UPCOMING PROJECTS: Projects here
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| IIGSY | Jul 17 2017, 12:09 AM Post #9 |
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A huntsman spider that wastes time on the internet because it has nothing better to do
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But the thing is that lissaphibians are rather fish like in some ways. They have to spawn in water, have life stages with gills, and have permeable skin prone to desiccation. I'm not sure if the florescence in frogs translates well to birds. Plus, why would they need them? Birds can already be insanely colorful for various purposes that lights might fill. Birds as we know them are terrible ambush predators, so that's out. It can't be for seeing, because birds have amazing color vision. |
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Projects Punga: A terraformed world with no vertebrates Last one crawling: The last arthropod ARTH-6810: A world without vertebrates (It's ded, but you can still read I guess) Potential ideas- Swamp world: A world covered in lakes, with the largest being caspian sized. Nematozoic: After a mass extinction of ultimate proportions, a single species of nematode is the only surviving animal. Tri-devonian: A devonian like ecosystem with holocene species on three different continents. Quotes Phylogeny of the arthropods and some related groups In honor of the greatest clade of all time More pictures Other cool things All African countries can fit into Brazil
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| 9Weegee | Jul 17 2017, 12:15 AM Post #10 |
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Newborn
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It doesent matter. All I want to know is if some bird can have glowing feathers. |
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| HangingThief | Jul 17 2017, 01:34 AM Post #11 |
ghoulish
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It isn't even displaying fluorescence in that picture, it's just really green and translucent. Actually I don't think that's the fluorescent glass frog species at all. On the subject of glowy birds... true bioluminescent feathers are probably not possible. If birds developed bioluminescence it would occur on soft tissue, probably fleshy bits on the face or inside the mouth. Dry, dead keratin isn't going to start magically glowing anytime soon. Feathers have no mechanism for producing bioluminescent compounds or having them distributed to them and aren't exactly the right environment for bioluminescent bacterial colonies. Bioluminescent animals (assuming it's for communication, not a warning signal) need a way to control their bioluminescence if they want to stay hidden from predators, so if it was bacteria based (as opposed to firefly- like bioluminescence where the chemical reaction only lasts a short time) I feel like it would probably occur inside the bird's mouth where it can stay hidden when not being shown off via nocturnal yawning. The bird could even drool glowy gunk freely and preen the crap into its feathers for a temporary full body display, until the bacteria dries up and dies. |
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| 9Weegee | Jul 17 2017, 09:17 AM Post #12 |
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Newborn
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Thanks man! That's all I needed to know 
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| kusanagi | Jul 20 2017, 10:00 AM Post #13 |
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Adolescent
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Bioluminescence is not only absent in birds and amphibians but also freshwater fish. Given its rarity generally outside of marine habitats there might not be a constraint against bioluminescence among Tetrapoda. But assuming a native biochemical reaction rather than a symbiont I would assume a glangular skin or something like an oral epithelium would have to be involved and not feathers or lizard scales. Read Silcock? I'm not endorsing his conclusion but he might be of interest to the OP. http://www.owlpages.com/owls/articles.php?a=18 |
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| Victorbrine | Jul 21 2017, 04:53 PM Post #14 |
Adult
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For birds that would be biofluorescence. They have bright colors that can "shine" (but not really like a light source) during the day and night. Bioluminescence is produced through chemical reactions (thus a type of chemiluminescence). Organisms with such a thing produce a chemical known as luciferin and an enzyme known as luciferase. When in contact with oxygen, it reacts and produces CO2, AMP and PP. Luciferase catalyses the action and thus light energy is "created". For birds to do that, they must have a purpose. There must be at some point in a bird's evolution to let it have the necessary chemicals to produce luciferine and luciferase. Then you can see what HangingTgief said. Although more realistically, a bird would most likely evolve biofluorescence for "glowing" feathers rather than bioluminescence. But the latter can still be a thing |
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| TrilobiteCannibal | Jul 26 2017, 05:14 AM Post #15 |
Worm Lover
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what if you had a flightless bird with ratite like feathers that has some kind of fibrous fungus growing in the feathers? or even some kind of specialized feathers along the neck or on the wings for bioluminescent larvae to live on/in. then they could another kind of specialized feathers that work like reflectors to increase the spread of the light. I guess neither of these are the bird itself being bioluminescent, but it's my best |
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