Extremely rare bright orange shark with white eyes discovered in the Caribbean
Fishermen and experts stunned after rare orange shark caught
- A nurse shark with a striking orange appearance, caused by the rare skin condition xanthism, was caught off the coast of Costa Rica.
- Xanthism, which results in excessive yellow or golden colours due to a lack of red pigmentation, has never before been observed in cartilaginous fish in the Caribbean.
- The six-foot-long shark, captured near Tortuguero National Park, also exhibited traits of albinism, including distinctive white eyes.
- While such conditions typically make sharks more vulnerable to predators, this discovery challenges assumptions about the survival rates of affected animals.
- The finding prompts experts to call for further research into potential genetic or environmental factors influencing this rare pigmentation anomaly in local nurse shark populations.