Gallery of Glowing Sea Creatures

By Stephanie Pappas, Live Science Contributor | July 19, 2011 06:29pm ET

Queen Angelfish

Photographer Brandi Irwin uses special lighting on night dives to capture otherworldly photos of sea creatures that fluoresce, including fish, coral and sea slugs.

Red and Green

A light similar to a black light plus a special camera filter bring out colors not visible to the naked eye.

Glowing Coral

Many of Irwin's photos are taken in the Caribbean, but she is planning a dive trip in Asian waters this fall.

Anemone Dance

The fluorescing anemones are among the stars of a New York Aquarium show, opening August 5, of Irwin's work.

All coiled up

An octopus peers out from the tangle of its legs. "I will come to the surface with whatever the ocean gives me," Irwin told LiveScience. "It's unpredictable down there."

Frilly Slug

A lettuce sea slug.

Bristle Worm

A bristle worm glows green. Irwin's dives take place on moonlit nights.

Seahorse Meeting

Two seahorses photographed by Irwin.

Stingray & Shipwreck

Sometimes black and white is more striking. Here, a stingray approaches a shipwreck.

Sunflowers of the Deep

And sometimes the colors are riotous, as with these sunflower-like anemones.

Author Bio

Stephanie Pappas, Live Science Contributor: Stephanie Pappas is a contributing writer for Live Science. She covers the world of human and animal behavior, as well as paleontology and other science topics. Stephanie has a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from the University of South Carolina and a graduate certificate in science communication from the University of California, Santa Cruz. She has ducked under a glacier in Switzerland and poked hot lava with a stick in Hawaii. Stephanie hails from East Tennessee, the global center for salamander diversity. Follow Stephanie on Google+.; Stephanie Pappas, Live Science Contributor on

previous | next