many animals wish to advertise to those of their own species while being camouflaged to avoid predation. many deep sea fish do this by way of bioluminescence. patterns of photophores on their undersides emit light that from below hide their silhouettes and resemble the scintillating lights produced by the ever-moving surface layers of water. at the same time, each species has a distinctive pattern of photophores that enables another member of its species to identify it as a con-specific.