Here’s Why an Orange Shark Was Discovered in Costa Rica

A recent discovery is making quite the splash.

During a 2024 fishing trip, an orange shark was caught and released near Tortuguero National Park in Costa Rica, according to an article published in the Marine Biodiversity journal earlier this month.

"The vastness of the ocean surprises us every day," tourism company Parismina Domus Dei wrote on Facebook in August 2024 alongside photos of the deeply hued shark (see the pics here) . "We had the opportunity to catch this nurse shark of this peculiar orange color. It’s the first time we’ve seen one of this color."

In fact, the journal noted it was the first time a nurse shark with this pigmentation had been recorded in Costa Rican waters.

Typically, nurse sharks are gray-brown, yellow-brown or brown, and juveniles can have dark spots