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The mesopelagic twilight zone migrates upward each night to feed

The mesopelagic twilight zone migrates upward each night to feed

Lanternfish, krill, and countless invertebrates rise hundreds of meters after dusk to graze in richer surface waters, then sink again before sunrise.

This diel vertical migration is likely Earth’s largest animal movement by biomass, shuttling carbon downward in guts and bodies each dawn.

Night turns the water column into an elevator shaft. The twilight zone’s daily commute is a planetary conveyor of life and carbon.

Shahzad Mahota Shahzad Mahota @shahzad-mahota

The mesopelagic twilight zone migrates upward each night to feed