As the largest predatory fish on Earth, great white sharks are already impressive, armed with up to 300 serrated teeth and weighing up to 5,000 pounds. Now, new research adds more intrigue to the oceanic beasts, suggesting that the animals can change color—perhaps as a camouflage strategy to sneak up on prey.

In new experiments off South Africa, researchers dragged a seal decoy behind a boat to entice several sharks to leap out of the water near a specially designed color board with white, gray, and black panels. The team photographed the sharks each time they jumped, repeating the experiment throughout the day. 

One shark, easily identifiable because of an abscess on its jaw, appeared as both dark gray