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🇳🇿New Zealand, Waitomo Firefly Caves

The Waitomo Firefly Caves in New Zealand are a unique natural attraction. A real planetarium under the arches of the cave.

Nature has worked hard and created underground grottoes, abundantly filled with luminous insects Arachnocampa Luminosa. They are also called mushroom mosquitoes-fireflies, because the main food of this species is spores of fungi that grow in caves.

The main reason for the glow is as follows: mosquito larvae (up to 3 cm in length) hang special threads with a glue-like substance.

Larvae catch small insects with these spider threads. Then the thread is wound and the caught prey becomes a delicious breakfast or lunch. And in order to attract "food", the larvae begin to glow actively. Scientists believe that the more the larva glows, the hungrier it is.

Interesting fact - fireflies are afraid of noise. If you shout loudly, the magic lights can go out, plunging you into darkness.
https://earth.google.com/web/search/Waitomo

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