Last Wednesday, on June 9, 2025, scientists from the University of Hong Kong announced that blue sharks may be able to change color. This was said during the Experimental Biology Annual Conference in Belgium, where Professor Mason Dean stated that sharks may be able to change color due to a unique nanostructure in their skin.

In addition, conditions like water pressure and water temperature could also play a role in the color that the shark turns into. This color-changing effect can both protect the shark and allow it to adapt to global warming, as well as help us understand marine biology better.

Blue sharks are long, slender-bodied sharks that are very common and live in almost every ocean. They can grow up to 13 feet long and weigh up to 528 pounds. Recently, we realized that these blue sharks can change colors. The special nanostructure on their skin acts like reflectors and makes the light bounce back, tricking our eyes. Research shows that the blue shark’s color is due to the tooth-like scales on its skin. The crystals on its body act as blue reflectors while another structure, melanosomes, absorbs the wavelengths of different colors. Like chameleons and octopuses, color changing is crucial for their survival.

The reason this discovery is so important to us is that it helps us make strategies to help these sharks , especially with growing concerns of global warming and climate change. The science of their color-changing skin could also inspire more creative technology. It also proves that we still have a lot to learn about biology and marine life.

This very recent discovery that sharks can change color to continue researching. They believe that it‘s important to learn more about this oceanic wonder.