Study Confirms First Orange Nurse Shark on Record in Costa Rica

Overview

• The peer‑reviewed Marine Biodiversity paper documents the first recorded case of total xanthism in a nurse shark and the first xanthic record for Caribbean cartilaginous fishes.
• Anglers near Tortuguero, Costa Rica, caught and photographed the shark in summer 2024, then released it; the images enabled the formal scientific assessment.
• The specimen is an adult male measuring roughly 6 to 6.5 feet and appeared healthy, according to experts cited in the coverage.
• The study identifies intense yellow‑orange skin pigmentation alongside white eyes consistent with albinism, describing the condition as albino‑xanthochromism.
• Scientists are calling for genetic and ecological follow‑up to determine causes, noting that prior orange sharks reported elsewhere in the Caribbean offer context for the finding.