Kampung Kuantan Firefly Park and its amazing light (9 photos + 1 video)

Malaysian fireflies create a dazzling display of thousands of tiny sparks lighting up in unison.





The firefly colony lives in the mangrove forests that grow along the Selangor River. From the shore, it is almost invisible, but as soon as you get closer, the branches and trunks seem to blossom and crumble into a myriad of tiny greenish-yellow lights. As you get closer, you can see them all blinking in unison for minutes, sometimes even hours, creating a fantastically mesmerizing visual extravaganza. It's truly a stunning phenomenon.



While each firefly blinks according to its own natural rhythm, it also receives feedback from the blinking lights nearby. This feedback, an example of a mathematical concept known as coupled oscillation, eventually results in a huge mass of simultaneously blinking fireflies.





One of the best places in the world to see this magnificent spectacle is in Kampung Kuantan, Malaysia. Unfortunately, over the past decade, the number of beetles in the region has declined dramatically due to poorly organized tourism and river pollution. However, all is not lost. Thriving colonies can be found in the Bagan Krian mangroves, the Tanjung Piai mangroves, the shores of Cherating and Kemaman, and elsewhere.