Shark Colour Change

This shark can change color - thanks to hidden nano mirrors in its skin Date: July 11, 2025 Source: Society for Experimental Biology Summary: Blue sharks possess a secret hidden in their skin: a. Blue sharks get their glow from hidden nanocrystals. Scientists find special structures on the surface of the shark's skin are what gives them their iconic blue colour.

Unique structures on the skin of the blue shark suggest it may be able to change colour like a chameleon, according to a new study. The study, presented this week at the Society for Experimental. The Unique Ability of Blue Sharks to Change Color While creatures like chameleons and octopuses are well-known for their color-changing abilities, the blue shark now joins this exclusive club.

The research team, led by experts at the City University of Hong Kong, delved into the shark's anatomy and identified a distinctive feature in its skin. When shark observers take out their boats to sea, they often see the same shark appearing lighter in the morning and darker on the same afternoon. Upon photographing these breaching sharks and comparing their shades with color boards, observers attributed these changes in the shark's skin color to hormones.

The nanostructures responsible for producing blue sharks' lovely hue may also allow them to change colour depending on their environment. The shark scientifically known as Stegostoma fasciatum is well known for their dramatic change of color pattern as it ages. Scientists just discovered a new color morph!

Blue sharks' unique nanostructured skin enables dynamic color changes via guanine crystals, with potential implications for bio. While the color-changing technique was something the researchers initially discovered by happenstance, National Geographic reports that South Africa's Wilderness Shark Research Unit utilized a wide variety of tools and methods to arrive at this new hypothesis once they realized what was happening under the surface. Shark biologist Ryan Johnson attests to taking hundreds of snapshots of the.