A bright orange shark has just been discovered

Updated Aug. 29, 2025, 8:32 a.m. | By East Coast Breakfast / Skyye Ndlovu

Fisherman reels in the first-ever bright orange shark

If you thought Nemo had the boldest colour palette in the ocean, think again.

A fisherman in Costa Rica recently reeled in something that looks straight out of a Pixar storyboard - a six-foot-six bright orange nurse shark.

Yes, orange. Not grey, not blue, not even the terrifying white we’ve all come to know from Jaws.

This guy was glowing like a traffic cone at sea.

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The lucky (or possibly bewildered) fisherman was Garvin Watson, who was casting off near Tortuguero National Park in August 2024.

Watson described the moment as “incredible” and admitted he and his crew couldn’t quite believe their eyes.

Honestly, who could? You’re expecting the usual muted ocean shades, and instead, up comes a shark looking like it belongs in a Fanta advert.

Photos of the unusual catch quickly made their way to Facebook, and then into the hands of scientists who were, let’s say, more fascinated than frightened.

Orange shark 2 — Parismina Domus Dei / Facebook

Orange shark 3 — Parismina Domus Dei / Facebook

Researchers explained the shark’s bright hue is caused by xanthism, a rare condition where animals develop yellow or gold pigmentation in their skin, fur, or scales.

The shark’s eerie white eyes suggest it also has a form of albinism, which means a lack of normal pigment elsewhere.

So, in essence, this wasn’t just any nurse shark; this was a once-in-a-lifetime, double-whammy genetic marvel.

According to a report published in Marine Biodiversity, scientists Marioxis Macías-Cuyare, Gilberto Rafael Borges Guzmán, and Daniel Arauz-Naranjo confirmed that this nurse shark is the first documented case of total xanthism in its species and the first record ever from the Caribbean Sea.

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Sure, it’s easy to think, “Cool, a weird orange shark, moving on.”

However discoveries like this help scientists better understand marine biodiversity, genetic quirks, and how animals adapt (or sometimes just roll the genetic dice).

It’s a reminder of how much of the ocean is still uncharted, still surprising, and still capable of blowing our minds.