Transcript:

Today on Animal Fact Files we’re talking about fireflies. You would not believe your eyes if you subscribe to this channel. So lightning bugs and fireflies are the same thing, they just have different common names. However, considering there are more than 2,000 different species of these beetles (yes, fireflies are not, in fact, flies) there can be some pretty big discrepancies in how they appear. In North America alone there’s basically a continental divide between where fireflies are frequently seen and rarely seen at all. For anyone living west of Kansas, fireflies are not a common sight, though east of Kansas they’re seen in relative abundance. This has to do with species distribution. See, not all fireflies are the flying, glowing adult males frequently shown to represent this family of beetles. Fireflies found west of Kansas still exist, but the adults often don’t glow - though their larvae and eggs usually do. It’s also possible female fireflies are doing the glowing, but they do so on the ground and with very little light. This can be observed in European glow worms who are, technically speaking, also fireflies, though these fireflies... don’t... fly. So, yeah, the firefly family is not all cut and dry.

Actually, it’s not usually dry at all - fireflies love moisture and humidity. Fireflies can be found on just about every continent, though they might be the most diverse in Asia and South America. Anywhere that allows the adults to glow and be seen by potential mates, such as open grasslands, open forests, and even mangroves, are perfect places for fireflies, though, not all adult fireflies emit light (these individuals instead use pheromones to attract one another). The same can not be said for firefly larvae, who use their light as a warning to predators. They’re some of the only animals we’re aware of that use light to deter predators. Apparently fireflies taste awful.

Typical predators to beetles like birds, lizards, and spiders will often avoid fireflies because of their unpalatable tendencies. Not that fireflies would make a big meal anyway averaging less than an inch (2.54 centimeters) in length! Fireflies themselves don’t do much eating, well at least not the adults. Some adult fireflies don’t eat at all, others might drink nectar, others might eat other fireflies. Firefly larvae, however, are quite carnivorous and will take snails, slugs, and worms by injecting these animals with a numbing chemical and sucking them dry. Eesh, not so whimsical when you look at them that way!

Firefly larvae hatch from eggs, which also sometimes glow, about a month after being laid. The larval stage is the longest of the firefly’s life cycle as it will stay this way living in the ground potentially for years. Once they’re ready to seek out a mate, the larvae will pupate and the adults will emerge, usually in the late spring and early summer. As adults, fireflies don’t live longer than a few months.

Fireflies glow by taking in oxygen and mixing it with luciferin and other chemicals found within their abdomen. The light they produce comes in different colors depending on the species, and it is called a cold light because hardly any heat is created in its production. It’s not like our lightbulbs that can get so hot they’ll burn someone when touched. How a firefly blinks its light is usually species specific, with some species even blinking in unison and creating an enchanting display.

For more facts on fireflies, check out the links in the description. Give a thumbs up if you learned something new today, and thank you for watching Animal Fact Files.