Article Summary:

The BBC has reported the results of a study carried out by Nathan Scott Hart and colleagues from the University of Western Australia and the University of Queensland, Australia which suggests that sharks are color blind. The scientists, who examined retinas of 17 different species of shark, discovered that the creatures had only one type of colour-sensitive cell, known as a cone cell, in their eyes whereas human eyes have three cone cell types, with each type dedicated to receiving either blue, green or red light.

The study was published in the journal Naturwissenschaften and may be used to help to avoid the by-catch of sharks by fishermen. Unfortunately, it also seems to suggest that sharks being attracted to “yum-yum yellow” is an urban myth!