Wombats are just one of the species at the Western Australian Museum found to be bioflourescent under UV light Wombats are just one of the species at the Western Australian Museum found to be bioflourescent under UV light

Wombats glow in the dark!

 - scientists accidentally discover Australian marsupials have biofluorescent fur

  • US researchers first discovered that a platypus glows when you shine UV light
  • This prompted Australian researchers to try a UV light out on other creatures
  • They found wombats, bilbies, possums and some bats also shine under UV light
  • Scientists don't yet know why mostly nocturnal creatures glow under UV light but suspect it could be to help them spot fellow members of the same species

Australian mammals and marsupials including wombats 'glow in the dark' under ultraviolet light, according to a team of scientists.

After a US study in October found that platypuses are biofluorescent, researchers from Western Australian Museum borrowed a UV light to verify the claim. 

Not only were they able to confirm the findings of the earlier study, but also discovered that many other marsupials and mammals also glow in the dark.

Researchers don't yet know why these creatures - including wombats and bilby - are biofluorescent, but believe it could be to help them spot fellow members of their own species, as the bulk of those glowing in the dark were nocturnal. 

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By Ryan Morrison / Daily Mail Reporter
(Source: dailymail.co.uk; November 27, 2020; https://tinyurl.com/y5kxsnwc)
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