Blue sharks have become very well known for the color of their skin, but new research indicates that these iconic sharks might be more than meets the eye. In fact, blue sharks might just be one of nature’s best chameleons, as new data suggests the components responsible for the shark’s coloring could allow it to change colors based on its environment.
The research comes from a group of marine biologists who shared their findings at the most recent Society for Experimental Biology Annual Conference in Belgium. The researchers say they discovered these findings while more closely inspecting the small tooth-like scales that are responsible for the blue coloring of the sharks.
These tooth-like scales are known as dermal denticles. When looking at them more closely, the researchers found that the scales feature small pulp cavities that contain guanine crystals. These crystals are responsible for the camouflage ability found in chameleons, which suggests that blue sharks may be able to use similar color-changing abilities to hide in different environments.
The belief is that these color-changing crystals allow the sharks to blend in with the darker waters of the deep. For example, the researchers suggest that the cells could become more tightly packed together as the pressure increases on the shark’s body, thus making the creature’s skin much darker when it dives deeper.
So far, the researchers have only simulated the possible chances of what might happen when the pressure is increased on the cells. From here, the researchers want to take their findings and try to translate them to the real world by investigating the blue shark’s chameleon ability in greater depth. The hope is that they’ll be able to prove that the sharks change their color based on their environment, even if that just means they get darker when diving deeper.
There’s a lot we still don’t know about sharks, including why some sharks freeze when turned upside down. But, hopefully, future research like this can help us uncover more about these majestic and terrifying creatures.
