The movement or orientation response of an organism away from light; negative phototaxis where a creature moves away from illumination.
From Greek 'a-' (not or without), 'phos' (light), and 'taxis' (arrangement or movement). The term was coined in the late 1800s as biologists studied how organisms respond to light stimuli.
Many cave fish have aphotaxis—they've evolved to be repelled by light—which actually saves their lives since the deep caves are lightless and venturing toward light would be fatal. It's evolution's way of keeping organisms in their optimal habitat.
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