A group of ichthyologists from the National University of Singapore in a publication for the Raffles Bulletin of Zoology spoke about the first species of cave moray eels living on the islands of Australia and the Philippines. According to Gismeteo, it is noted that the representatives of the species Uropterygius cyamommatus described by them have significantly reduced eyes, and in two individuals studied, the left eyes were completely hidden under the skin.
The experts clarified that they were able to determine that these moray eels belong to a species hitherto unknown to science due to their different eyes, long tail, different dentition and many vertebrae. The open species, according to experts, was the first to inhabit the caves directly connected to the sea.
It is assumed that the reduced size of the eyes indicates the adaptation of this species to habitats where there is no sunlight. According to scientists, in the process of evolution, these moray eels lose their eyes, and at the moment an intermediate stage of this process can be observed.
Source: Rosbalt
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