Re: third eye

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Posted by matt campbell on November 11, 1998 at 16:34:01:

In Reply to: third eye posted by CJ on November 09, 1998 at 18:06:50:

Iguanas and many other lizards possess a "third eye" refered to as the pineal eye. It does play a role in regulation of hormonal responses and perception of photoperiod, among other things. It is not a true eye however and does not truely convey "sight" to the brain. It is more a sensory organ much the way a flatworms eyespots convey light and dark. If an iguana sees prey coming from overhead it's not due to the pineal eye, it's because their eyes have nearly 360 vision because they're located on the sides of their head. You can't really sneak up on a rabbit for the same reason, i.e. their field of vision is so much greater than ours that they can indeed see above as well as behind and in front of them all at the same time. The trade-off is lessened depth perception like you get with binocular vision.

: I recently purchased an iguana,and I heard that they had a third eye on top of their head.Is this true?I would appreciate any help,thanks.
:
: CJ

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: Iguanas and many other lizards possess a "third eye" refered to as the pineal eye. It does play a role in regulation of hormonal responses and perception of photoperiod, among other things. It is not a true eye however and does not truely convey "sight" to the brain. It is more a sensory organ much the way a flatworms eyespots convey light and dark. If an iguana sees prey coming from overhead it's not due to the pineal eye, it's because their eyes have nearly 360 vision because they're located on the sides of their head. You can't really sneak up on a rabbit for the same reason, i.e. their field of vision is so much greater than ours that they can indeed see above as well as behind and in front of them all at the same time. The trade-off is lessened depth perception like you get with binocular vision. : : : I recently purchased an iguana,and I heard that they had a third eye on top of their head.Is this true?I would appreciate any help,thanks. : : : : CJ

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