Remarkable neon-glowing sea turtle discovered

Neon-colored hawksbill sea turtles are the source of scientific curiosity

While researching biofluorescence in small sharks and coral reefs, an unexpected glowing creature passed a team of scientists who identified the fluorescent creature as a sea turtle species. After testing others, they determined hawksbill sea turtles have attained the ability to glow under deep waters.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Marine biologist and associate professor of biology at City University of New York, David Gruber was diving with his team in the waters of the Solomon Islands to research biofluorescence when a sea turtle revealed itself, glowing through the darkness. 

The reptile stunned them as it "came out of nowhere" while the team was looking out for crocodiles. The turtle's red and green colors glowed at full capacity due to the special camera equipment the team brought which enhances blue light.

The Huffington Post reported biofluorescence is an ability to absorb certain types of light which, due to special proteins, can be re-emitted as a different color. Deep ocean water is full of blue light, which is responsible for the transformation of some creatures, allowing them to glow. 

To determine whether the discovery was a unique characteristic of a single hawksbill sea turtle, Gruber located others held in captivity and "basically took those turtles and shined the blue lights on them." Every one of the turtles display the same glowing ability.

Gruber explained shallow water doesn't contain enough blue light to allow the turtles to glow. Because there is so little blue light, researchers had to bathe the turtles in the light with technology.

He also subjected a loggerhead turtle in an aquarium to the same experiment with plenty of blue light and saw that it too has neon colors but more research is needed to conclude the effect is species-wide.

Gruber was credited as the official "discoverer" of the glowing sea turtle, though he said that there could be others who witnessed them before. Unfortunately, if they did, they may have not realized what they were looking at.

Research remains ongoing to determine the purpose of the glow in the sea turtles but Gruber speculates it could be for mating, blending and hiding.

"Why is it that we know so little about these amazing animals? The one thing that we know is that the males and females have slightly different patterns ... It could be used for mating and [helping] the turtles find each other. It could be used to camouflage themselves hanging out among other fluorescent animals," Gruber said.

"[W]e don't know anything about the vision of turtles," he added, saying it is difficult to know how biofluorescence looks from a sea turtle's perspective but he hopes more research will be conducted on hawksbill sea turtles.

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