Orange shark with white eyes sighted: Pictures of one-of-its-kind creature shock internet

Scientists say the shark's orange skin colour and white-hued eyes are caused by two separate conditions.

Nature finds various ways of surprising humans, and this time, it came in the form of a sea creature - a rare and one-of-a-kind shark flaunting a bright orange colour. Fishermen spotted the amazing creature near the Tortuguero National Park in Costa Rica. They captured a few pictures of the shark before letting it go.

Fishermen spotted an orange shark in Costa Rica. (Facebook/Parismina Domus Dei)

The pictures were taken last year and shared on a travel company's Facebook page. However, a recent study titled “First record case of free-living xanthism in the nurse shark Ginglymostoma cirratum (Bonnaterre, 1788) from the Caribbean Sea” has brought the shark back into the spotlight.

Why the orange colour?

Scientists say the shark's unusual colour results from a condition called xanthism. However, it is an extremely rare condition in a fish like a shark, reported the BBC. In the journal, the researchers explained that this is the first time a shark of this colour has been spotted and pictured.

An orange coloured shark spotted for the first time. (Facebook/Parismina Domus Dei)

However, that’s not all. The shark also had bright white eyes. According to the scientists, this is due to albinism, which leads to little or no production of a pigment called melanin, causing a creature's hair, eyes, and skin to turn white.

“The adult shark, approximately 200 cm in total length, exhibited intense yellow-orange pigmentation and white eyes, indicating a condition known as albino-xanthochromism. This unique finding suggests that xanthism does not hinder survival in this species," the scientists mentioned in the study.

An orange shark with white eyes. (Facebook/Parismina Domus Dei)

The travel company’s post, shared a year ago, is gaining views after the study's publication.

At the time of sharing the pictures, the post was captioned, “The vastness of the ocean amazes us every day!! We had the opportunity to get this mammal out of this peculiar orange color. The first time we see one of this color, if anyone has seen any resemblance, let us know.”