An exceedingly rare, orange-colored nurse shark was discovered by anglers off the coast of Costa Rica this month.
The anglers hooked the shark during a sport fishing trip near Tortuguero National Park on Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast.
The 200cm/6.56-foot-long shark (“Ginglymostoma cirratum”) exhibited a skin condition called xanthism.
According to a report in the journal Marine Biodiversity:
“This unique finding suggests that xanthism does not hinder survival in this species. Compared to previous reports of abnormal pigmentation in G. cirratum, such as albinism, piebaldism, and hypomelanosis, this is the first scientifically documented case of total xanthism in the species and the first record from the Caribbean Sea. Further research is needed to explore potential genetic or environmental factors influencing this rare pigmentation anomaly in sharks.”
