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FLASH facts
Fireflies primarily flash to find a mate. Male fireflies flash green signals in response to light flashes from earthbound female fireflies.
C Fireflies emit `cold light' as 96 per cent of it is put to good use and only four per cent is wasted as heat. In contrast, 90 per cent of the light from an incandescent light bulb is wasted as heat.
Fireflies have femme fatales as well. Certain female fireflies mimic the signals of those from another species, attract the males and have a yummy meal.
Fireflies give out light to scare off predators. The flash is also supposed to send the signal that a firefly will make a distasteful meal.
Fireflies derive their light-emitting ability from a chemical reaction involving luciferin, luciferase, adenosine triphosphate and oxygen.
Fireflies are not flies, but beetles belonging to the family Lampyridae.
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Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Madurai
Mangalore
Pondicherry
Tiruchirapalli
Thiruvananthapuram
Vijayawada
Visakhapatnam
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