US Politics | Warning as chilling new change sharks make to body when hunting their prey revealed after brutal attacks spike in the US
NEW research on great white sharks off the coast of South Africa suggests that the apex predators may change color to better hunt their prey. Gibbs Kuguru, a shark scientist and PhD student at Wageningen University and Research in the Netherlands, studied the creature's skin. 
GettyNew research suggests that great white sharks may change their skin color when hunting '/ ' "I began my research on the skin of sharks when I heard about some sharks in the Maldives that had developed a very peculiar skin deformity called leucism," said Kuguru. Leucism is a skin condition that can cause a loss of pigmentation. "The presence of leucism raised many questions that led me to investigate the causes of the deformity, which taught me a lot about the make-ups of shark skin and the different adaptations they may have," he said. While working at a cage diving company with great whites, Kuguru said he would often hear people noticing the sharks changing color. MORE SHARK STORIES 
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LURKING BENEATH Swimmer rushed to hospital in shark capital of the world marking 6th attack "Every time it happened, I questioned whether or not it was real or if our eyes were playing tricks on us," he said, prompting him and his mentor to put it to the test. Kuguru and his mentor Ryan Johnson went to a shark hotspot off the coast of South Africa to conduct their experiments. They created a grayscale color board to float in the water behind a boat, and baited sharks with a decoy food source. Kuguru and Johnson photographed the sharks against the color board as they breached the surface. Most read in The US Sun 'DEVASTATED' Mum's tribute to 'wonderful boy' after Brit, 22, killed by helicopter blades BABY LOVE Kardashian fans go wild after Kourtney posts pic of Khloe touching her BABY BUMP HOST OF PROBLEMS? Today fans demand Savannah be 'fired' after they notice 'rude' behavior STEER CLEAR Five items to never buy at Aldi - including an overpriced pharmacy dupe 'GROW SILENTLY' Hoda shares cryptic quote after reason behind her Savannah clash is exposed DON'T SLEEP ON IT LPBW fans slam Tori Roloff's 'bad parenting' over son Josiah, 3 months "The color board was a game changer when it came to observing differences in the shade of the animal," said Kuguru. The pair also received tissue samples from the sharks and rushed back to the lab to get confirmation on their color-changing theory. Johnson and Kuguru treated the shark skin with hormones that their skin cells would be sensitive to. "Interestingly, we not only found that the skin reacted to the hormones, but they did so in a strikingly, definitive way," said Kuguru. Read More on The US Sun 
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HAIR GLUE I tried the Kardashians' viral hair stick dupe - is it worth it? The two scientists watched the shark's skin become darker when treated with one hormone or lighter with another. The experiment doesn't fully prove whether great white sharks have the ability to camouflage themselves but it opens the door for more experiments in the future. 
GettyShark scientists Gibbs Kuguru and Ryan Johnson conducted studies on shark skin and exposed it to hormones that changed the pigmentation of their skin '/ '
GettyNew research suggests that great white sharks may change their skin color when hunting '/ ' "I began my research on the skin of sharks when I heard about some sharks in the Maldives that had developed a very peculiar skin deformity called leucism," said Kuguru. Leucism is a skin condition that can cause a loss of pigmentation. "The presence of leucism raised many questions that led me to investigate the causes of the deformity, which taught me a lot about the make-ups of shark skin and the different adaptations they may have," he said. While working at a cage diving company with great whites, Kuguru said he would often hear people noticing the sharks changing color. MORE SHARK STORIES STAY SAFE Exact time of day you're least likely to suffer shark attack revealed by expert LURKING BENEATH Swimmer rushed to hospital in shark capital of the world marking 6th attack "Every time it happened, I questioned whether or not it was real or if our eyes were playing tricks on us," he said, prompting him and his mentor to put it to the test. Kuguru and his mentor Ryan Johnson went to a shark hotspot off the coast of South Africa to conduct their experiments. They created a grayscale color board to float in the water behind a boat, and baited sharks with a decoy food source. Kuguru and Johnson photographed the sharks against the color board as they breached the surface. Most read in The US Sun 'DEVASTATED' Mum's tribute to 'wonderful boy' after Brit, 22, killed by helicopter blades BABY LOVE Kardashian fans go wild after Kourtney posts pic of Khloe touching her BABY BUMP HOST OF PROBLEMS? Today fans demand Savannah be 'fired' after they notice 'rude' behavior STEER CLEAR Five items to never buy at Aldi - including an overpriced pharmacy dupe 'GROW SILENTLY' Hoda shares cryptic quote after reason behind her Savannah clash is exposed DON'T SLEEP ON IT LPBW fans slam Tori Roloff's 'bad parenting' over son Josiah, 3 months "The color board was a game changer when it came to observing differences in the shade of the animal," said Kuguru. The pair also received tissue samples from the sharks and rushed back to the lab to get confirmation on their color-changing theory. Johnson and Kuguru treated the shark skin with hormones that their skin cells would be sensitive to. "Interestingly, we not only found that the skin reacted to the hormones, but they did so in a strikingly, definitive way," said Kuguru. Read More on The US Sun HAUNTING VID Student made chilling prediction about 'being murdered' before disappearance HAIR GLUE I tried the Kardashians' viral hair stick dupe - is it worth it? The two scientists watched the shark's skin become darker when treated with one hormone or lighter with another. The experiment doesn't fully prove whether great white sharks have the ability to camouflage themselves but it opens the door for more experiments in the future. GettyShark scientists Gibbs Kuguru and Ryan Johnson conducted studies on shark skin and exposed it to hormones that changed the pigmentation of their skin '/ '
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