CANBERRA, Jan. 19 (Xinhua) -- Australia`s new study on Wednesday suggested sharks may be color blind, challenging the long-held belief they were mainly attracted to yellow.
Based on tests carried out by the United States` navy, sharks were thought to be mainly attracted to yellow.
However, according to the joint study by researchers at the University of Queensland (UQ) and University of Western Australia (UWA), it is the contrast that is important to attract sharks, not the color itself.
The Australian researchers measured light-sensitive cells in the sharks` eyes to determine whether they could see colors.
"We looked at a number of different species and we found that in all cases they are probably colour blind," UWA associate professor Nathan Hart told ABC Science on Wednesday.
"They have only a single type of cone photoreceptor in the eye, which is what we use for our sense of color, but we have three - red, green and blue.
"They only have a single one, sensitive to green, so effectively they`re color blind. It is just like looking at a black-and-white TV."
Hart said the sharks were probably attracted to yellow, because it would have had a very high contrast against the surrounding water, adding that it is why life jackets are made yellow, so that people can spot people who are floating in the water.
He said more studies need to be done, but the advice is to avoid wearing brightly colored costumes when swimming in the ocean.
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