As a saltwater enthusiast and science geek, I have lately been astounded at how little is out there to read about dolphins. My most recent encounter on the Atlantic Ocean was with the similarly neglected Portuguese Man O' War. These are H.G. Wellian non-jellyfish. Alien colonies floating around with prickly poisonous pearl strands. And they are beautiful.
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| UV flashlight illuminating liquid highlighter pen |
A week ago I bought an inexpensive UV flashlight. It is advertised as a tool to highlight pet urine stains, but I actually just wanted to own a light which sends out rays in the UV spectrum. Dog urine indeed permits an exceptional glow, once dried and the phosphors are left behind. Mr. Clean also lets off a spectacular sheen. I certainly did not expect to wish I had my UV flashlight with me when out paddling in Biscayne Bay near Miami, where I had my first multiple sightings of these Dale Chihuly designed floating sculptures. A brilliant blue one became wrapped around the paddle swirled by a man in my canoe, and it was soon in his lap, then twirling itself around him with the grace and stealth of a killer necklace. The victim did let me know the sensations were like those of being stabbed by numerous hypodermic needles.
I soon read as much as I could about the alien. One theory suggests that their brilliant blue and purple colors help the colony absorb the nonstop exposure to ultraviolet rays. I am only able to form in my mind's eye what it would be like to illuminate one of these beautiful monsters with my little flashlights and may have to add some of them to a short story about ultraviolet aliens. In the meantime, here is a link to some beautiful photos and video by someone who is much more infatuated with these creatures than I am:
Deadly Beauty
And here is another image generated by a computer. What in the world are we looking at?
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