Armored eyes of the whale shark.
This report elaborates on adaptations of the eyes of the whale shark Rhincodon typus (Elasmobranchii, Rhincodontidae), including the discovery that they are covered with dermal denticles, which is a novel mechanism of eye protection in vertebrates. The eye denticle differs in morphology from that of...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2020-01-01
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| Series: | PLoS ONE |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0235342 |
| _version_ | 1818729599990759424 |
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| author | Taketeru Tomita Kiyomi Murakumo Shinya Komoto Alistair Dove Masakatsu Kino Kei Miyamoto Minoru Toda |
| author_facet | Taketeru Tomita Kiyomi Murakumo Shinya Komoto Alistair Dove Masakatsu Kino Kei Miyamoto Minoru Toda |
| author_sort | Taketeru Tomita |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This report elaborates on adaptations of the eyes of the whale shark Rhincodon typus (Elasmobranchii, Rhincodontidae), including the discovery that they are covered with dermal denticles, which is a novel mechanism of eye protection in vertebrates. The eye denticle differs in morphology from that of the dermal denticles distributed over the rest of the body, consistent with a different function (abrasion resistance). We also demonstrate that the whale shark has a strong ability to retract the eyeball into the eye socket. The retraction distance was calculated to be approximately half the diameter of the eye, which is comparable to those of other vertebrates that are known to have highly retractable eyes. These highly protective features of the whale shark eye seem to emphasize the importance of vision for environmental perception, which contradicts the general, though poorly established, notion of low reliance on vision in this species. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-17T22:48:27Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-08026e3ceaec492289b2e6834e4d1ac6 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1932-6203 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-17T22:48:27Z |
| publishDate | 2020-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLoS ONE |
| spelling | doaj.art-08026e3ceaec492289b2e6834e4d1ac62022-12-21T21:29:44ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032020-01-01156e023534210.1371/journal.pone.0235342Armored eyes of the whale shark.Taketeru TomitaKiyomi MurakumoShinya KomotoAlistair DoveMasakatsu KinoKei MiyamotoMinoru TodaThis report elaborates on adaptations of the eyes of the whale shark Rhincodon typus (Elasmobranchii, Rhincodontidae), including the discovery that they are covered with dermal denticles, which is a novel mechanism of eye protection in vertebrates. The eye denticle differs in morphology from that of the dermal denticles distributed over the rest of the body, consistent with a different function (abrasion resistance). We also demonstrate that the whale shark has a strong ability to retract the eyeball into the eye socket. The retraction distance was calculated to be approximately half the diameter of the eye, which is comparable to those of other vertebrates that are known to have highly retractable eyes. These highly protective features of the whale shark eye seem to emphasize the importance of vision for environmental perception, which contradicts the general, though poorly established, notion of low reliance on vision in this species.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0235342 |
| spellingShingle | Taketeru Tomita Kiyomi Murakumo Shinya Komoto Alistair Dove Masakatsu Kino Kei Miyamoto Minoru Toda Armored eyes of the whale shark. PLoS ONE |
| title | Armored eyes of the whale shark. |
| title_full | Armored eyes of the whale shark. |
| title_fullStr | Armored eyes of the whale shark. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Armored eyes of the whale shark. |
| title_short | Armored eyes of the whale shark. |
| title_sort | armored eyes of the whale shark |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0235342 |
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