This cave-dwelling eel is going blind, by losing one eye at a time
Sunday, May 21, 2023 - 14:33
in Biology & Nature
Scientists exploring underwater caves have discovered a new species of moray eel that appears to be adapting to its unique habitat—by losing its eyes. Some specimens of Uropterygius cyamommatus have left eyes covered by skin, whereas others retain eyes on both sides of their heads. The researchers used baited traps to lure the morays to the surface of inland caves that connect to the ocean on Australia’s Christmas Island and the Philippines’s Panglao Island. The fish are the first known species of moray to inhabit these formations, known as anchialine caves. Two of the four specimens the scientists collected had no visible left eye , they report in the Raffles...