Fireflies are actually winged beetles that use bioluminescence during twilight to attract mates.
Fireflies are extremely efficient at what they do.
Nearly hundred percent of the energy produced in the chemical reaction is converted to light.
Because of the absence of heat, the light produced by fireflies are called cold light.
But its now known that fireflies glow to communicate with mates during courtships.
When she likes what she sees, the female responds with her own unique flash.
With synchronous fireflies, such asPhotinus carolinus,the courtship ritual is more organized.
All males seems to have made an agreement to flash their unique pattern in unison.
Researchers believe the fireflies synchronize their flashing to activate the females to clearly spot the males patterns.
“If everybody is yelling the same exact sentence randomly, it doesn’t make any sense.
The mechanics of the synchronization is, however, still a mystery.
A hundred years ago, scientists didnt even believe synchronizing flashes were possible.
They doubted when travellers to Southeast Asia reported seeing synchronized flashing.
