What Animal Has Three Eyes?
The Tuatara, a lizardlike reptile that lives only in New Zealand, has those three “eyes”. It belongs to a group of reptiles that once included many other creatures, but today, the Tuatara is the only surviving member of that group.” http://www.geocities.com/EnchantedForest/Creek/2102/AmazingAnimalFacts2.html “[…] Another fascinating fact about this so-called relic of the past is that, the tuatara has a third eye on top of its head, between the usual eyes. This unusual feature however, is possessed not only among tuataras but also in many species of lizards. This fascinating eye comes complete with lens and retina but as the tuatara grows, the skin will also grow covering the extra eye. The actual use of this eye is still pretty much a guess. It is apparently not used to distinguish visible objects among adult tuataras and so it is thought to have no function at all. However, there is a theory that this eye serves as a device to regulate the temperature or light to make it easier for
The tuatara, a lizard-like reptile that lives only in New Zealand, has those three “eyes.” It belongs to a group of reptiles that once included many other creatures, but today, the tuatara is the only surviving member of that group. To understand where the tuatara’s “third” eye came from, scientists studied a small growth attach