Bhandardara Fireflies Special Camping

What are fireflies and why do they ignite?
     Fireflies are a family of insects which glow in the dark. The phenomenon of glowing is called bioluminescence which occurs due to a chemical reaction inside their bodies. Fireflies use this luminescence to attract mates or prey.

Some interesting facts about fireflies:
     Certain species of female fireflies pick mates based on specific male flash pattern characteristics. Higher male flash rates and increased flash intensity have been found to be more attractive to females among two different fireflies species.
     Many fireflies do not illuminate at all. They use pheromones to attract their mates. Using pheromones for the sexual signal is an ancestral condition, whereas, using luminous sexual signals are a recent phenomenon.
     Certain species of fireflies deploy both pheromones and luminous component to identify their mates.
    There are varieties of use of luminescence by fireflies apart from attracting mates. luminescence is also used for attracting prey, making themselves unpalatable to predators, for identifying other members of their species, etc.