The deep sea is one of the most mysterious places on earth. Scientists rarely go there. Those few do discover new species all of the time. Many places of the deepest parts of the ocean, where it's forever dark, can light up. Now, a teen's research has shown new light on how one of these swimming animals behaves in darkness. The giant flashlight fish lives in the Indian Ocean as well as in tropical parts of the central and western Pacific. It lives at depths of up to 400 meters, (about 1,300 feet). But not always. Sometimes it lives in coral reefs in shallow waters. In those shallow waters, the blackish-blue fish comes out only at night. Reef-dwelling members of this species tend to be smaller than those living in deeper waters. Those biggies can grow to lengths of 35meters (14inches). That may not sound like a giant, but they are the largest of their type of fish. The giant flashlight fish gets its name from a small glow-in-the-dark patch found in a packet of tissue under each eye, explains Caroline Edmonds. She is a 13- year-old student from Fountain Valley, Calif. There, she attends Talbert Middle School. She said that the eye pockets in these fish contain light-producing bacteria. These bacteria and their host fish have built a relationship that helps both. The fish use the bacteria as a way to communicate with creatures around them. The bacteria gain nutrients from the fish and a safe place to live. When a fish wants to " flash" its light, it turns the bacteria-filled pocket toward the outside of its body, Caroline explains. When a fish wants to hide its light, it turns the pocket back toward the inside. According to her data, the fish flash most often when they are being fed. They flash least often late at night, when they are resting. From where does the giant flashlight fish produce light?
Between its wings. Inside its body. Inside its back. Near its eyes.