It’s an attention-grabbing discovery: a glowing sea turtle by marine biologist David Gruber. Gruber recently discovered the glowing turtle on his night dive in the Solomon Islands. While filming biofluorescence in small sharks and coral reefs, the City University of New York researcher saw a hawksbill sea turtle whose shell was emitting light of red and green color.

Biofluorescence is a phenomenon in which organisms absorb light and reflect it back in different colors. This phenomenon is seen in a number of animals, but for the first time it has been found in a reptile.

Alexander Gaos, director of the Eastern Pacific Hawksbill Initiative, said, “I've been [studying turtles] for a long time and I don't think anyone's ever seen this”.

National Geographic reports the phenomenon is used by glowing turtles for attracting, mating and concealing prey. But it is not known by now where exactly their population prevails.

Scientists told the National Geographic that the glowing turtle emits red color which could be caused by algae on the shell but neon green color is without a doubt from the turtle.

The glowing turtles are decisively endangered because of the malevolence human practices such as fishing and poaching. It would be a disgrace if these luminous animals run down the population.