The secret of shark eyes

In the dark light of the deep sea, the self-luminous shark has trained its eyes, or rather, the eye evolves over time, in order to see the intricate patches of light in the dark. .

Picture 1 of The secret of shark eyes
Specially developed luminescent shark eyes to match the imported environment - (Photo: UCL)

Special shark luminescent species are equipped with many light-sensitive cells in the retina, according to a report published on Plos One.

And some species even develop their vision to help them see the light with a weak signal emanating from other sharks (when paired), chasing prey or disguising themselves in areas with little light. The light penetrates.

'There are about 50 different species of sharks that can emit light, accounting for 10% of the total number of sharks that dominate the ocean today,' said biologist Julien Claes, a Catholic biologist. Louvain in Belgium.

These animals live at depths of about 200m to 1,000m, environments with very weak light.

Claes and colleagues have shown that some bioluminescent sharks use highly complex, mostly hormone-related mechanisms, instead of brain signaling chemicals, such as melatonin. , as in other luminescent fish species.