Watch first-ever orange shark be caught by fisherman in Costa Rica
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Natalie Neysa Alund, USA TODAY August 29, 2025 at 2:40 AM
Garvin Watson after catching a rare, orange nurse shark in waters off Costa Rica.
An angler in Central America recently caught a rare orange shark while fishing in Costa Rica.
Garvin Watson, who lives in Costa Rica, told USA TODAY he reeled in a 6-foot, 6-inch nurse shark with white eyes and a bright orange body, unlike anything he had ever seen before.
Footage and photos provided by Watson show the neon-colored shark in water beside a boat with the angler aboard.
"(It was) incredible," Watson, owner of the Parismina Domus Dei Hotel, told USA TODAY on Thursday, Aug. 28. "We couldn't believe what we had in front of us, an orange shark that looked like an alien."
The fisherman snagged the first sighted xanthic nurse shark in Costa Rica’s Tortuguero National Park last August, according to a report published in the Marine Biodiversity journal.
A fisherman wanted a picture of his catch. The 6-foot shark bit him.
Watch: First-ever orange shark spotted
Scientists said it’s the first time an orange shark has ever been recorded, according to the report.
Its unique neon-orange color is a phenomenon called "xanthism," a pigmentation condition portraying yellow or golden tones in the skin, scales or fur of animals, scientists wrote in the report.
The shark was "the first scientifically documented case of total xanthism in the species and the first record from the Caribbean Sea," according to the researchers.
Video and photos show the shark's eyes were white, with no visible irises, when it was caught. Sharks typically have a black iris, researchers said.
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X @nataliealund.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Video shows rare orange shark be caught by fisherman in Costa Rica
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