Just as humanity was getting ready to say that they have seen them all, scientists have accidentally discovered the first phosphorescent sea turtle. The video was filmed by marine biologist David Gruber while he was investigating the regions of the Solomon Islands as part of the TBA21 Academy Expedition.
David Gruber and his colleagues were filming the depths of the Solomon Island waters in search for interesting coral reefs when they have come across one of the most unusual sightings. Out of a sudden, they met a red and green marine creature that swam towards the corals.
Scientists have seen other exemplars of glow-in-the-dark sea turtles, but they confess that this is the most sparkling specimen they have ever come across. The sea turtle belongs to the Hawksbill species, which is known to change its colors, depending on the temperatures of the water.
Gruber has stated that he initially thought the sea turtle was an underwater ship. It was only when the turtle grew closer to the camera that he realized it was a Hawksbill exemplar. These underwater creatures belong to the Cheloniidae family, which have been labeled as endangered.
The species used to be the target of many hunters due to the highly decorative properties of their shells until the World Conservation Union has finally adopted new measures for their conservation. These exemplars can live anywhere in the ocean, but they choose lagoons, coral reefs and dark underwater regions because these make up for the best hiding places.
The fluorescent turtle was filmed while Gruber was conducting an expedition as part of the TBA21 Academy program. The project is meant to get artists and scientists working together to discover solutions for most of the environmental problems. The new expedition was related to coral reefs and the measures that organizations can adopt to preserve them.
Similar expeditions have already been conducted in the Galapagos Islands, Fiji and the Caribbean Sea. However, this is the most interesting discovery that scientists have made since the beginning of the TBA21 Academy project.
Image source: www.conserveturtles.org