In the ocean, [bioluminescence] is the rule rather than the exception.

Source: "Glowing Life in an Underwater World." Mission Blue Voyage. Apr. 2010. Additional Information: This quote by bioluminescence expert Edith Widder means that most animals that live in the ocean are bioluminescent -- they make their own light. The quote is from Widder's 2010 TED Talk, delivered at the Mission Blue Voyage event. In this Talk, Widder explains that while bioluminescence is rare on the earth's surface, in the open ocean, if you drag a net from 3,000 feet to the surface, 80 to 90 percent of the animals in that net will make light. Watch the full TED Talk here: Edith Widder - Glowing Life in an Underwater World