Aug. 28 (UPI) — A man fishing in waters off the coast of Costa Rica reeled in an unusual catch — the first documented orange shark.
Garvin Watson reeled in the 6-foot, 6-inch nurse shark while casting his line near Tortuguero National Park in August 2024.
“[It was] incredible,” Watson told USA Today. “We couldn’t believe what we had in front of us, an orange shark that looked like an alien.”
Watson, owner of the Parismina Domus Dei Hotel, shared photos of his catch on the business’ Facebook page.
Researchers said the shark’s bright orange coloring is caused by a condition called xanthism, which causes yellow or gold pigmentation in an animal’s skin, scales or fur.
Scientists Marioxis Macías-Cuyare, Gilberto Rafael Borges Guzmán and Daniel Arauz-Naranjo wrote in a report published this month in the journal Marine Biodiversity that Watson’s nurse shark represents “the first scientifically documented case of total xanthism in the species and the first record from the Caribbean Sea.”
The researchers said the shark’s white eyes indicate it also has a form of albinism, which involves a complete lack of pigment.
