🌿 Naturepublished 2w ago
Whale sharks protect their eyelids-free eyes with miniature teeth
Whale sharks lack eyelids to protect their vision in open waters. Instead, researchers discovered that each eyeball is shielded by roughly three thousand dermal denticles—the same tooth-like scales that cover shark skin. These armored scales form an eye-covering barrier that resists abrasion from turbulent water and collisions. Combined with the shark’s ability to pull its eyeballs back into its skull, the adaptations provide heavy-duty defense for a gentle giant.
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