Natural Optics: Seeing Things From A Different Point Of View

Harold Gough · Post by **Harold Gough** » Fri Mar 06, 2009 3:10 am

Not a mirror carp but:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7815540.stm

When you don't have the flexibility:

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes ... atomy/593/

Maybe it can cause blindness:

http://www.bioone.org/doi/full/10.1641/ ... 2.0.CO%3B2

Harold

Cyclops · Post by **Cyclops** » Fri Mar 06, 2009 4:39 am

Interesting stuff Harold! You know that Horseshoe Crab's anatomy somewhat reminds me of spiders! It has several eyes not necessarily linked and also has book lungs just like spiders!

gabedamien · Post by **gabedamien** » Fri Mar 06, 2009 8:05 pm

Well, horseshoe crabs and arachnids are both chelicerata. They are closely related.

I never knew they had 10 eyes (even on the tail!) though. Neat.

Cyclops · Post by **Cyclops** » Sat Mar 07, 2009 2:30 am

Now the thing with having multiple eyes in different locations is the animal must be able to switch between the various sets otherwise the image presented to the brain,such as it is,would be a scrambled mess. I wonder how such animals get round this? Spiders particularly as they're far too small to have a brain but rather have a collection of cells called the Ganglion

Harold Gough · Post by **Harold Gough** » Sat Mar 07, 2009 3:53 am

Some of them might be better described at photoreceptors. This differentiation of function would minimise confusion.

Harold

augusthouse · Post by **augusthouse** » Sat Mar 07, 2009 4:39 am

Do all 'signals' received by the photoreceptors need to go to the creature's CPU before an immediate response is initiated?

Craig