Brave New World : Colour Inspiration From Fish And Bioluminescence

I have decided that I want to make my hybrid human a bright colour, I like the idea of my creature being an explorer of the deep sea and have been inspired by the idea of Bioluminescence, a colourful feature adopted by many fish living in the deep ocean. Bioluminescence occurs through the reaction of two chemicals Luciferen and Luciferase. Luciferen is the chemical that produces the light and Luciferase is the chemical that starts the reaction. Therefore when these are mixed with oxygen, light and colour is emitted. Bioluminescence is used by deep sea fish for many different reasons such as attraction, defence and communication. I however like the idea of Bioluminescence being used as a warning. Bioluminescence as a warning is used by many deep sea fish, such as millipedes and firefly larvae. They use the Bioluminescence as a warning to other fish that they are not palatable. This is an important concept that I think would work well with my hybrid creature as they need to have some sort of protection from other fish and predators around them. My creature is there to explore, not hunt or be hunted. Some fish constantly emit a light whereas some glow occasionally. As well as natural Bioluminescence some fish have been genetically engineered to glow and create bright colours such as an Angel Fish created in an aquarium in Taipei, Taiwan. The colours of these fish is very beautiful and inspiring. For practical as well as aesthetic reasons I would like my creature to be constantly colourful. As well as Bioluminescence I have also been looking at other brightly coloured fish for inspiration, although most bright coloured fish live on coral reefs and not in the deep ocean. I still think a brighter creature would be more colourful and attractive, such as an Angel Fish. As builders wear high-vis jackets on building sites to be noticed for protection reasons, I would like to adopt this thought into my work of highlighting my hybrid in its surroundings rather than concealing it.

Bioluminescent Fish
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/earth/earthpicturegalleries/8445782/Luminous-creatures-Glowing-deep-sea-creatures-photographed-by-Joshua-Lambus.html