The
firefly squid (
Watasenia scintillans) is a small (about 7-8 cm long) type of squid native to the western
Pacific Ocean. They spend most of their time in the
high seas at depths of 200 to 400 meters, only surfacing at night to eat, and only coming close to shore when it's time to have
hot juicy squid sex.
Firefly squid have photophores (light-emitting organs) in their tentacles, which they use to attract unsuspecting little fishies for dinner. By an interesting turn of evolution and/or creation, they have smaller photopores throughout their body, which make them capable of glowing in all sorts of brilliant colors (kind of like Noisy Sunset, only brighter). Nobody's sure why they do this: some speculate that it's a form of camouflage against predators, meant to mimic the sunlight bouncing off of the water's surface. Others believe that the body lights are used for communication.
When firefly squid come to spawn in the spring, they gather near the shore, and then at dusk, they turn their lights on and begin jumping around in the shallows. Some get so excited that they jump clear out of the ocean and end up "drowning" on the beach.
The most famous firefly squid orgy ground is Toyama, Japan, where "hotaru ika," as they're called, are a delicacy as well as a pretty sight. During the mating season, tourists can take midnight boat rides into the sea to watch the firefly squid light up and get it on. From a distance, the little cephalopods look like a faintly-glowing cloud in the water.