Leo Smith and Matthew Davis Publish in Nature's Scientific Reports

Biofluorescence — the ability to absorb light, transform it, and eject it as a different color — has recently been found to be widespread in marine fish, including sharks. Catsharks, such as the Swell Shark from the eastern Pacific and the Chain Catshark from the western Atlantic, are known to exhibit a bright green fluorescence. In their article, “Biofluorescence in Catsharks (Scyliorhinidae): Fundamental Description and Relevance for Elasmobranch Visual Ecology,” Leo Smith, Matthew Davis, and their colleagues examined the spectral sensitivity and visual characteristics of these cat sharks, taking into consideration the fluorescent properties of their skin. Findings include the presence of a single visual pigment in each species. For more on the implications of such a discovery, you can read the full article here. 

Photo by Kyle McBurnie