Sharks Are Color-Blind

Even the most brightly colored swimwear won't make you more interesting to a shark, according to new research. Researchers examined the retinas of 17 kinds of shark caught in Australian waters and found that the predators see the world in black and white, the BBC reports. They believe their findings could help make the seas safer for swimmers—and for sharks.

Sharks appear to detect and identify objects by brightness contrast instead of color. "This may help us to design long-line fishing lures that are less attractive to sharks as well as to design swimming attire and surf craft that have a lower visual contrast to sharks and, therefore, are less 'attractive' to them," explains the lead researcher. (More color stories.)