Final answer:
Bioluminescent animals produce light through a chemical reaction between a luciferase enzyme and a luciferin molecule, in an efficient process that is a result of convergent evolution across multiple species.
Step-by-step explanation:
Bioluminescent animals produce their own light primarily through a chemical reaction involving a luciferase enzyme and a luciferin molecule. This process is highly efficient, with nearly 100% of the energy input turning into light, which is much more efficient than artificial lights like fluorescent lights. The phenomenon of bioluminescence has evolved independently in more than 30 different lineages of organisms, illustrating a remarkable example of convergent evolution. In marine dinoflagellates such as Lingulodinium polyedrum, bioluminescence occurs when these organisms are jarred or stressed, such as by the motion of breaking waves, causing a brilliant blue glow. Other examples include the bioluminescent bacterium Aliivibrio fischeri, which lives in a mutualistic relationship with the Hawaiian bobtail squid, and glow-worms which use their light to attract prey in the Waitomo caves of New Zealand.