Pollachi: The light dance performed by the fireflies at the Anaimalai Tiger Reserve, located in the Western Ghats, which has been declared as one of the World Heritage Sites, was a spectacular sight beyond the ‘Avatar’ image. The bioluminescent world that comes in the Hollywood movie avatar may be imaginary. However, the incident that took place in the Anaimalai Tiger Reserve is true.
Every summer, millions of fireflies light up at night, turning the beautiful forest into a green carpet. Such a rare event took place in the Anaimalai Tiger Reserve a few days ago this year.
Last month, Ramasubramanian, field director of the Anaimalai Tiger Reserve, and M.G. Ganesan, light pollution and fireflies research expert Sriram Murali saw the synchronous glow of a large firefly swarm in the Ulandi forest.
Millions of fireflies were synchronizing their light throughout the forest. Knowing that light was flashing on one tree, millions of fireflies in the next tree began to glow and transmit this series of light streams across the forest. The event continued throughout the night. Due to this light flood of fireflies, some trees were found to be black. Each tree had different luminous patterns. Thus the whole forest glowed yellowish green.
Sriram Murali, an expert on light pollution and fireflies, said: They devour most of their larvae and feed on insects, including soft earthworms and snails, while adult fireflies live only a few weeks and feed on honey and pollen.
This huge swarm of millions of fireflies shows just how healthy the forest and environment are at the Anaimalai Tiger Reserve. The absence of electric light bulbs, night tours, dam constructions, residential and vehicular movement in particular contributes to the large number of fireflies.
Fireflies have special light organs under their stomachs that take in oxygen. Inside specialized cells, oxygen combines with luciferin to produce light. The light of fireflies is one hundred percent efficient. A synchronous dance of fireflies took place at the Anaimalai Tiger Reserve in 1999, according to contacts with firefly scientists in the United States.
Researchers at the Coimbatore Forest Genetics and Arboretum have discovered a synchronous dance of fireflies in the Anaimalai Tiger Reserve in 2012. There are more than 2000 fireflies worldwide. But, only a few are consistent. Fireflies found in the Anaimalai Tiger Reserve may belong to the genus Abscondita or may be a new species. Detailed research and DNA sequencing are needed to accurately identify its species. These are brown with black stripes. Round eyes with intricate shapes and less than a centimeter in length.
The synchronous dance of these millions of fireflies is due to the long-standing forest protection of the Anaimalai Tiger Reserve. The number of fireflies around the world is declining, and this very rare and rare phenomenon must be preserved for future generations. “