WASHINGTON: A glowing hawksbill sea turtle has been spotted near the Solomon Islands in the Pacific Ocean, and it’s believed to the be the first reptile ever known to exhibit biofluorescence – the ability to absorb blue light and then reflect it as a different colour, most often green, red, or orange.
Discovered by biologist and National Geographic explorer David Gruber from City University of New York, the incredibly rare turtle was caught on camera glowing neon red and green under a blue light. You can see the exclusive National Geographic footage below.
“I’ve been [studying turtles] for a long time and I don’t think anyone’s ever seen this,” Alexander Gaos, director of the Eastern Pacific Hawksbill Initiative, who wasn’t involved in the discovery, told Jane Lee over at National Geographic. “This is really quite amazing.”
Right now, scientists aren’t too sure what’s caused this biofluorescence. After playing with the light for a few minutes, the turtle swam away and Gruber didn’t pursue it – hawksbill sea turtles are one of the most endangered and protected species in the world, which makes them very difficult to study.
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