This hawksbill sea turtle in Solomon Islands is the first turtle that possesses biofluorescence. (Photo : National Geographic)
Marine biologists who are exploring underwater regions of the Solomon Islands located in the Southwest Pacific Ocean just discovered the first reptile that possesses biofluorescence.
Based on a report from National Geographic, scientists recently spotted an endangered hawksbill sea turtle that revealed a brilliant green and red biofluorescence which means an organism can absorb and reflect light in a different color.
Common biofluorescence colors include red, green and orange hues where scientists note that biofluorescence is entirely different from bioluminescence, which means that an organism can generate its own light. Organisms that are known to possess biofluorescence are corals, fish and crustaceans including mantis shrimp.
According to conservationist Alexander Gaos, for the longest time, I have been observing sea turtles and I have never seen anything like this, which is really quite amazing.
The team accidentally spotted this glowing sea turtle during a filming of bio-fluorescence observed in smaller sharks and coral reefs in the Solomon islands. According to marine biologist David Gruber from the City University of New York, the hawksbill turtle appeared to be a large alien spacecraft underwater, with patches of red and green glowing all over its body.
The team also captured a video of the unique sea turtle, using a camera with a blue light, that matches the color of the surrounding color of the ocean's surroundings. Apart from this, the sea turtle's biofluoresence appeared more visible with a yellow filter attached to the camera.
The researchers revealed that they still do not know how hawksbill sea turtles can glow with fluorescence and if other sea turtle populations in other parts of the world can glow as well.
Gaos noted that this ability is mostly used for finding and attracting prey or it could also be a defense mechanism of some sort or even a communication device.The team also says that these turtles are also very difficult to spot during daytime where their biofluorescence act as a camouflage, making it challenging to detect them amidst glowing corals.
