Most sharks are unable to distinguish between colors, according to an Australian study that has analyzed thecells of the retina of 17 species of sharks. In all these species, abundant eyes were foundCanesCells very sensitive to light, useful for night vision but unable to distinguish between colors. However, most of the species studied lackedcones, photoreceptors that respond to different wavelengths and that differentiate between colors. And only in some species, seven in particular, the researchers identified a type of cell that can detect wavelengths of 530 nanometers, which correspond to the color green. The study has been carried out by the Universities of Western Australia and Queensland and published in the German journalNatural sciences.
Themonochrome visionit is very rare in terrestrial species, because detecting colors helps to survive. But the role of color is less evident in the marine environment, where colors are progressively filtered as depth increases and survival depends on the ability todistinguish contrasts to determine if a silhouette in the twilight belongs to a prey or predator.
Nathan Scott Hart, co-author of the work, suggests that the results could be used to design lures for longline fishing less attractive to sharks, so that their accidental fishing is avoided. ?We could alsocreate swimwear and surf suits with reduced visual contrast for sharks. In this way, they would be ‘less attractive’ to them, “he concludes.
