A Shark Rainbow
- Sharks4Kids
- 14 hours ago
- 2 min read
Author: Adina Hoffman
When you first think of a shark, you probably picture a gray body with fins, a tail, and sharp teeth. Even though many sharks have gray or dark coloration to blend in with their environment, did you know some come in different colors and patterns?
Lemon shark photo by Jillian Morris
Lemon sharks - yellowish skin
Blue sharks - the top of the body is deep blue, lighter on the sides, and the underside is white
Blacktip sharks – have black tips at the ends of their dorsal fins and tail
Oceanic whitetip sharks – have white tips at the ends of their dorsal fins and tail
Whale sharks – gray body with yellowish polka dots
Leopard sharks - bold dark saddle-like marks and dark spots
Zebra sharks - born with vertical brown and white stripes that fade into spots as they mature
Goblin sharks – pinkish-gray coloration
Epaulette sharks – sandy brown with white-ringed black spots that look like military epaulets
Lantern sharks – these sharks produce bioluminescence through special organs called photophores that allow them to glow in the dark
Bamboo sharks – grey and white bands
Blue shark photo by Michelle Trigg
Even though these sharks are more colorful and patterned than perhaps an “average shark,” their colors are not very bright; they are more muted and duller, again for camouflage.
In fact, sharks are colorblind! Sharks possess a single type of cone in their retina, the photoreceptor for color vision, which could imply they are unable to see color.
Perhaps the most colorful and bright shark is not a shark at all. The rainbow shark is a fish with a black, dark blue, or bright blue body and red/orange fins, and a stripe across the gill cover, eye, and mouth. Since these fish are semi-aggressive and prone to fighting with their own species and relatives in tanks, the name “rainbow shark” came about.
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