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Animal vision: starfish can see at last
1School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Brighton BN1 9QG, UK.
Current Biology : CB
|March 8, 2014
Summary
Starfish use small compound eyes located on their arms to navigate. These eyes help them find their way back to reef edges when they wander off.
Area of Science:
- Marine Biology
- Animal Behavior
- Sensory Ecology
Background:
- Starfish possess compound eyes at the tips of their arms.
- The behavioral significance of these ocular structures remained largely unknown until recently.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the functional role of starfish compound eyes in spatial orientation.
- To determine if these eyes facilitate navigation and reef edge localization.
Main Methods:
- Observational studies on starfish behavior in natural reef environments.
- Controlled experiments assessing visual navigation capabilities.
Main Results:
- Starfish demonstrate the ability to use their compound eyes for navigation.
- Evidence suggests eyes are used to locate and move towards reef edges.
Conclusions:
- Starfish compound eyes play a crucial role in their ability to navigate.
- This finding provides the first behavioral function for these specialized visual organs in starfish.
