Mysterious Orange Shark With Piercing White Eyes Stuns Scientists Off Costa Rica’s Shores
So picture this: a six-and-a-half-foot nurse shark cruising the Caribbean waters flaunting a neon orange coat—and no, it’s not auditioning for a fish-themed disco. This isn’t your everyday fish story; this shark’s got not one but two wild card pigmentation quirks—xanthism and albinism—that made it look like the lovechild of a goldfish and a ghost. Normally, nurse sharks keep it low-key with brown hues and stealthy dark eyes, blending perfectly with the seabed to avoid becoming a bigger fish’s lunch. Yet here’s the kicker—this glowing weirdo managed to survive well into adulthood. Makes you wonder: is this a freak genetic fluke, or is nurse shark adaptability playing a whole new game we never saw coming? Could this flashy orange dude have found a sneaky survival advantage in plain sight? Dive into the peculiar tale that’s turning everything we thought we knew about shark pigmentation upside down. LEARN MORE
Despite having both xanthism and albinism, this Caribbean nurse shark survived well into adulthood, raising new questions about the conditions and the species’ adaptability.
Tortuguero National Park/FacebookThe orange nurse shark has albinism and another condition known as xanthism, resulting in its orange color.
During a sport fishing trip off the coast of Costa Rica, fishers reeled in an unusually rare orange-colored nurse shark. It was found at a depth of around 120 feet near Tortuguero National Park, which then shared photographs of the shark on its Facebook page.
Researchers were naturally curious about the shark’s color. To date, no other cartilaginous fish in the Caribbean — a group which includes sharks, rays, and skates — has shown similar coloration.
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