Spotted Salamander have algae living within their Embryos, which convert Sunlight to energy
Yes the Scientist did know, that several animals can turn sunlight into energy, like Corals which have algae living in them which uses photosynthesis, that helps them convert sunlight to make sugar and other animals, which includes sponges and sea slugs doing the same. There is also a species of hornet which convert Sunlight into electricity.
But said all these, Scientists were still unable to find a back boned creature similar to humans which can do the same. But the wait is finally over. The Scientists has received hard evidence that the spotted salamander (link) is solar-powered. This news was reported in New Scientist and Journal of Experimental Biology.
Scientists in 2011 found that the algae was not only present inside
the eggs, but inside the embryonic cells themselves. The theory, which
proved correct, was that the algae, through photosynthesis, used
sunlight to trigger a chemical reaction combining water and carbon
dioxide to produce glucose, or sugar, that the embryo used for fuel.
The algae is not essential, but Erin Graham, a professor at
Philadelphia’s Temple University who led the study, said in the paper,
“Their survival rate is much lower and their growth is slowed” without
it. Graham also said there could be more such animals, though they would likely be other amphibians or fish.
The Spotted Salamander or Yellow-spotted Salamander (Ambystoma maculatum) is a mole salamander common in the eastern United States and Canada. The Spotted Salamander is also the state amphibian of South Carolina. This salamander ranges from Nova Scotia, to Lake Superior, to southern Georgia and Texas.
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