Larva of Shrimp (0.5 cm). Visual reception is extremely important to the larva of a shrimp. It lives for the first few weeks of its life as a drifting member of the plankton, suspended in the sea, where it feeds on tiny, often transparent, organisms. The eyes grow rapidly during larval development, and then the growth slows down in proportion to body growth as the shrimp matures and settles to the ocean floor.
	Anableps anableps, or "Cuatro Ojos" the 4-eyed fish, has evolved adaptations for seeing clearly both above and below water. at the same time! A unique eye construction, with distinct areas of the retina for air and water allow Anableps to feed on everything from insects to smaller fish. For more info, jump to the 4-eye fish page!
	A flying dragon fly. (Species unknown) (9 cm). The dragonflies have some of the most advanced compound eyes in the animal kingdom. Their eyes are divided into to many tiny sections called ommatidia. Each ommatidium acts like a distinct eye and together they build a composite image. Dragonflies can possess up to 28 000 ommatidia.
	Pgymy Owl: The eyes of owls take up such a large proportion of their skull, that their brain size is limited. As nocturnal and flying birds, vision is essential for the hunting owl. Their large eyes allow increased light reception and larger, sharper images. Binocularity and precise accommodation give them good depth perception and acuity.
	The Tufted Puffin, (Fratercula cirrhata) (body length 37-39cm). A resident of the rocky sea cliffs of the Pacific Coast. It can be identified by its bright orange bill and the distinct pony-tail tufts that extend behind its eyes. Seabirds that live and feed in the salty ocean have special glands in the corner of their eyes that excrete excess salt.
	The Spiny Lumpsucker (Eumicrotremis orbis). One of our favourite fish, this 5-7 centimetre fish often lives in eel grass beds and among kelp. It feeds on small crustaceans.
	Keratella is a rotifer found in lake plankton and in vernal pools. Rotifers are tiny and bizarre animals between 40 and 200 micrometers. Their single eyespot is a group of photosensitive cells. Although it is well-armed with hooks and a tough shell, Keratella is preyed upon by small fish and other microlife.

Back to our gallery about eye diversity and evolution - Who's Eye Is It Anyway?