The platypus did it. Possums do this. Even the three squirrels in North America did this. Tasmanian demons, echinopods, and wombats can do the same, although the evidence is not so reliable.
       Moreover, the latest news is that two rodents the size of rabbits called “spring bugs” are doing this. In other words, they glow under black light, and the confused quirks of certain mammals confuse biologists and make animal lovers all over the world happy.
       Springhares jumping on the savannahs of southern and eastern Africa are not on anyone’s fluorescent bingo card.
       Like other glowing mammals, they are nocturnal. But unlike other creatures, they are placental mammals of the old world, an evolutionary group that has not appeared before. Their brilliance is a unique pink orange, which the author calls “plain and vivid”, forming surprisingly variable patterns, usually concentrated on the head, legs, back and tail.
       Fluorescence is a material property, not a biological property. Certain pigments can absorb ultraviolet light and re-emit it into bright, visible colors. These pigments have been found in amphibians and some birds, and have been added to items such as white T-shirts and party supplies.
       However, mammals do not seem to be inclined to contain these pigments. In the past few years, a group of researchers have been pursuing exceptions, many of them related to Northland College in Ashland, Wisconsin, since a member of the biologist Jonathan Martin happened to be at his home. Since a squirrel in the backyard fired an ultraviolet flashlight, it has been looking for exceptions. Its eraser turns pink.
       Then, the researchers went to the Field Museum in Chicago with curiosity and black lights. When the team tried a drawer with well-preserved fleas, they laughed.
       ”We are all shocked and excited,” said Erik Olson, associate professor of natural resources at the university and the author of the new paper. “We have a lot of problems.”
       In the following years, the researchers examined 14 springbok specimens from four countries, some of which were males and some were females. Olsen said that all cells show fluorescence-many are plaque-like, which is unique among the mammals they studied.
       They also reached out to the zoo to ensure that live animals have this characteristic. Ultraviolet photos taken at the Henry Dolly Zoo and Aquarium in Omaha brought more observations and many fascinating photos in which the rodents looked as if they started to carve before applying their own paint .
       Chemists Michaela Carlson and Sharon Anthony of Northland College said that chemical analysis of spring rabbit fur found that fluorescence mainly comes from a group of pigments called porphyrins, which have also caused this in marine invertebrates and birds. effect. .
       However, the biggest question is-why all these papers and related observations flash like neon lights.
       The discoveries in the spring in particular provide some avenues for exploration. Fluorescence may help animals avoid carnivores that are sensitive to ultraviolet light by absorbing wavelengths that would otherwise be brightly reflected and emit invisible light. Olsen said that in that case, mottled patterns like fleas could be another asset.
       ”Are these species found in part of the mammalian phylogenetic tree? Certainly not.” said Tim Caro, a professor of evolutionary ecology at the University of Bristol in England who was not involved in the study. “Do they all have a way of life? He said, “No. “Everyone eats different things.” Do they use this pleasing color to attract spouses, so we might see the characteristic features of one gender, while the other does not fluoresce? No, that won’t happen either. “
       Carlo said, “There is no pattern,” which means “either we don’t know the function of this coloring, or there is no function at all.”
       He said: “The hard work is now to document this feature more widely throughout the mammalian region,” he said. Follow this space.