Light Touch
A Modest Proposal on the Evolution of the Eye
Is there an evolutionary link between the bony plates that surrounded the eyes of some prehistoric creatures and the iris as we know it today?
Devonian fish (Dinichthys terelli).
Wikimedia Commons
Like many children, I was fascinated by dinosaurs and other extinct animals. The Devonian armored fish Dinichthys terelli, or “terrible fish,” was of particular interest to me. Its head, covered with bony plates, could measure up to six feet wide and was armed with massive paired teeth, making it look like a giant prehistoric staple remover. Among the many bony plates in the terrible fish’s head were a series making up a perfect annulus in each orbital. To my young eye it appeared as if the fish was so tough that even its eyes were armored.
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