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Published
on Thursday, August 21, 2025
By
the A.M. Costa Rica
staff
Costa Ricas waters are home
to many striking creatures, including
the bright orange nurse shark (Ginglymostoma
cirratum).
The unusual shark,
with its orange hue and pale eyes, is
believed to suffer from a rare condition
known as albino-xanthochromism, a pigmentation
disorder typically seen in fish. The
condition produces an excess of yellow
pigment, giving the animal a vivid
golden or orange appearance.
While xanthism has been
documented in fish species before, this
golden orange nurse shark marks the
first recorded case in chondrichthyans, a group of
cartilaginous fish that includes sharks,
rays, skates, and chimaeras.
Scientists note
that pigment disorders such as xanthism and albinism strip animals of
their natural camouflage. This lack of
protective coloring can make them more
vulnerable to predators and also more
visible to prey, potentially reducing
their chances of survival.
The rare shark was
first reported on August
11, 2024, a few miles away
from Parismina Beach, near Tortuguero
National Park in Limón province, during
a sport fishing trip organized by
Parismina Domus Dei, a sport-fishing
company.
Nurse sharks are distributed widely, though patchily, across tropical and subtropical coastal waters of the Eastern and Western Atlantic and the Eastern Pacific. In the Western Atlantic, including the Caribbean, their range stretches from Rhode Island to southern Brazil; in the East Pacific, they are found from Baja California to Peru.
Despite
their calm and sedentary reputation, nurse
sharks are ranked fourth in documented
shark bites on humans, according to the
Journal of Fish Biology. Experts attribute
this to divers behaving carelessly around
the generally non-aggressive species.
The
nurse shark can grow up to 10 feet (3.08
meters), though past reports describe
individuals reaching 15 feet (4.5 meters)
and weighing as much as 730 pounds (330
kilograms). Identifiable features include
two rounded dorsal fins, broad pectoral
fins, an elongated tail, and a wide, flat
head.
These
sharks are opportunistic predators,
feeding mostly on small fish, crustaceans,
mollusks, sea urchins, tunicates, corals,
and even algae. Nocturnal by nature, they
forage at night by stirring up seabed
sediments, but during the day they often
gather in large, motionless groups.
The
International Union for Conservation of
Nature (IUCN) currently lists the nurse
shark as Vulnerable,
meaning the species faces a high risk of
extinction. They are targeted by some
fisheries and also considered prized
catches in sport fishing.
Costa
Ricas
waters are also home to another
extraordinary visitor, the whale shark (Rhincodon typus),
the worlds
largest living fish species, famed for
its immense size and distinctive spotted
pattern.
Wild
Costa Rica Magazine
gives readers a glimpse into the
extraordinary biodiversity that makes the
country one of the most ecologically rich
destinations in the world.
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