Photobleaching of pink photoluminescence in bandicoot fur

Abstract

Bright pink-orange-red photoluminescent (fluorescent and/or phosphorescent) fur is being found in an increasing number and diversity of mammal species. With the molecules causing these colours of photoluminescent emission suspected to be mostly photosensitive porphyrins, degradation from light exposure is an unquantified contributor to false negatives in museum-based surveys. I tested the resistance of pink photoluminescent bandicoot, Peramelidae, fur to exposure to natural sunlight and artificial laboratory lighting. Photoluminescence underwent visibly noticeable photobleaching in two minutes of direct sun exposure, or a few hours when exposed to indoor lighting. The fleeting nature of porphyrins means that an accurate representation of pink-orange-red photoluminescence should not be expected in specimens that have been exposed to light, whether in life, post-mortem, during taxidermy or on display.