Experience the dazzling displays that fireflies create when humans are far away

The Anamalai Tiger Reserve in southern India is best known for its elephant and tiger populations. However, this video from the filmmaker, photographer and ‘dark sky advocate’ Sriram Murali focuses on the ‘tiny insect that steals the show’ in the reserve at night. There are some 2,000 species in the Lampyridae family of beetles – better known as ‘fireflies’ – and many of them use bioluminescence to communicate and find mates. However, only a few species synchronise their light signals, and rarely in such large congregations as Murali captures within the reserve, protected from human activity and artificial light. Set against a near-pitch black backdrop, the small blinking patterns on display combine to form a stunning glimpse into the phenomena of both bioluminescence and emergence.

Via Colossal