3 euro Austria 2023 - Shark - Swell

The Luminous Marine Life series is a collection of commemorative coins highlighting fascinating marine creatures and their amazing properties. The series aims to raise awareness of the importance of protecting marine habitat and species, which are threatened by factors such as overfishing, climate change and pollution.

Each coin in the series features a different sea creature, with a silhouette representation of all 12 magical sea creatures on the obverse of each coin. The reverse of each coin is framed by a wide band reminiscent of an old-fashioned porthole, with a detailed representation of the highlighted sea creature. The fine details of each sea creature, including the swell shark, are captured in the design of each coin.

The swell shark is a unique marine creature that takes its name from its ability to inflate to approximately double its normal size by swallowing water as a form of protection against predators. In addition to this fascinating characteristic, the swell shark is also able to convert incoming ultraviolet or blue light into green light, thanks to a special pigment in its eyes. The molecules that make swell sharks fluorescent are unique in the animal world, and the lighter areas of their skin glow more intensely than the darker ones. Although the reasons why the swell shark uses this ability are not yet fully understood, it is assumed that it helps sharks recognize each other and distinguish between males and females of the species.

The Luminous Marine Life series is an important initiative to raise public awareness of the importance of protecting marine species and their habitats, and each piece in the series is a magnificent tribute to the beauty and diversity of marine life.