It would seem a bit foolish to put a big cap on the end of a torch, right in the path of the beam of light. But that’s exactly what one type of sea snail does. Hinea brasiliana has a pair of organs that give off a bright glow. Many sea animals have this ability but the snail’s living torches are permanently hidden. They sit underneath the hard shell and can’t be pushed outside. And yet, the light not only finds a way through, it also somehow diffuses throughout the shell so that the entire structure starts to glow.

Although hundreds of sea creatures can produce their own light (bioluminescence), H.brasiliana is one of the few snails to have this