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Sharks are one of the most bloodthirsty and dangerous sea creatures. They can feel a drop of blood hundreds of meters away, but as it turns out, sharks do not distinguish colors, which cannot but please bathers.
Using microspectrophotometry, Australian scientists studied the retina of 17 shark species caught off the coast of Queensland and Western Australia. In all species, they found rod-shaped visual cells that allow sharks to see in the dark but do not help distinguish colors. The thing is that sharks do not have cone-shaped visual cells that react to light at certain wavelengths. These cells help humans recognize colors.
Scientists found cone-shaped cells in 7 of the 17 shark species studied, but they were all of the same type and corresponded to the green spectrum due to the wavelength of 530 nanometers. This means that sharks can distinguish between shades of gray but not colors. Scientists have previously announced that the same vision is observed in whales, dolphins, and seals.
This phenomenon is very rare among terrestrial animals, as color vision is important for survival. But in the depths of the sea, where colors are scattered and absorbed, surviving means discerning whether the visible silhouette is a prey or a predator.
According to Nathan Scott Hart of the University of Western Australia, the study shows that determining contrasts in water is more important for sharks than distinguishing colors. The significance of the work of scientists in this field also lies in the fact that these results can be used in the production of swimming suits and surfboards that will be less “attractive” for marine predators.