Rare Fluorescent Sea Turtle

Nighttime Divers have spotted a bio-fluorescent turtle swimming near the Solomon Island which is in the South Pacific. What is so special about this turtle? This discovery was made in the nighttime when divers spotted a rare and endangered sea turtle glowing bright red and green. With the help of latest technology mankind is able to capture videos and images almost everywhere and anywhere. So as expected the divers started filming the turtle, also termed as a hawksbill sea turtle, following it till the time it swam away.

Biofluorescence occurs when an organism absorbs light from sources outside, for example, the sun, it then transforms it and then reemits it as a different color.  In the recent era, researchers who are in the bio-fluorescence field have discovered all sorts of bit fluorescent marine animals, which include sharks, fishes, eels and corals.

An associate professor of biology at Baruch College in New York and a National Geographic emerging explorer named David Gruber states, “It was such a short encounter.” “It bumped into us and I stayed with it for a few minutes. It was really calm and letting me film it. Then it kind of drove down a wall, and I just let it go.”

This is an important discovery made by the researcher. The researchers have already found bio-fluorescence in aquarium-housed logger head sea turtles.  In fact, this is the first discovery the scientists have made, in finding bio-fluorescence in a wild reptile, as stated by David Gruber.

David Gruber states that on July 31, the divers were not looking for glowing sea turtles. They were lucky to have a full moon and a boat which took them to the shallow water near Nugu Island in the night. Rather they were on guard since they were aware of the recent increase of crocodile attacks in that area, but they still dove into the water in search for bio-fluorescent sharks using blue lights.

As they were searching for bio-fluorescent sharks the turtle just swam right into David Gruber. Markus Reymann who was also one of the divers says, “This turtle was just hanging out with us. It was in love with the light, and it was glowing neon.”

The hawksbill turtle breeds in more than 80 countries and is mostly found in the Caribbean Sea and Indo-Pacific Ocean, but sadly it is endangered because of the climate change, illegal trade, bycatch and hunting.