Glowing creatures found in Caribbean Sea

Scientists have poked and prodded a clutch of deep-sea creatures in the Caribbean and discovered they can produce their own light.

The researchers, from the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), used a manned submersible to travel 1000m below the ocean's surface off the Bahamas.

Once they reached the dark seabed, the team approached a number of animals, including sea anemones, crabs, shrimp and fish, and gently prodded them to see which ones glowed.

The NOAA group is one of the first to study bioluminescence among bottom dwelling species, finding the creatures most likely use different colours of light to decide what they want to eat.