Tangerine Shark

In August of 2024, a fisherman in Costa Rica pulled in a fish that looked like a refugee from a “Finding Nemo” sequel—a shark the color of a Creamsicle with white eyes. The fisherman released it back into the Caribbean. But marine biologists studied pictures of it. And they concluded that the shark had a combination of two rare conditions.

The fish was a nurse shark—a common species in the Caribbean, the Gulf of Mexico, and elsewhere. It’s a low-key species that has a rounded snout that looks a little like a catfish.

Most adults are gray-brown or yellow-brown on top, with a lighter colored belly. But the one caught in Costa Rica was bright tangerine. Its eyes were all white, including the pupil—no scary shark-like stare. There’s no record of that color combo among nurse sharks anywhere. And there’s no record of any shark species with it in Caribbean waters.

Researchers said the shark most likely had two genetic disorders—albinism and xanthism. Albinism accounts for the white eyes. Xanthism accounts for the skin color—it boosts the level of yellow pigments.

Sharks and other fish use their color to hide from predators and prey. So you might think that a tangerine-colored shark would have a tough time surviving. But the Costa Rican shark was about six and a half feet long—only a bit less than the size of a typical adult. So it’s managed to get along just fine—a tangerine shark sliding through the clear blue waters of the Caribbean.

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