This animal has hundreds of eyes along its entire body

Let’s take a closer look at a few fascinating creatures that were born to see the world a little differently.

The lizard with a hidden third eye

Many reptiles, including lizards, frogs, and even sharks, have what’s called a parietal eye. This “third eye” sits on top of the head and doesn’t see like our normal eyes do. Instead, it detects light and dark, helping the animal understand day length, seasons, and body temperature regulation.

One of the best examples is the tuatara, a rare reptile from New Zealand. Baby tuataras are born with a tiny, visible third eye on the top of their heads. As they grow, this spot gets covered with skin, but the light-sensitive organ still functions underneath.

The more eyes, the better?

Most spiders have eight eyes (Source: Freepik)

If you think three is impressive, wait until you meet some of the invertebrates of the world.

Spiders: Most spiders have eight eyes, though not all of them are used for the same purpose. Some help with movement, others with depth or night vision.

Horseshoe crabs: These ancient sea creatures have ten eyes placed all over their bodies, including on their tails! This helps them navigate murky ocean floors and even find a mate.

Box jellyfish: These jellyfish are practically swimming eyeballs. They have 24 eyes arranged in clusters, and some of them actually form clear images.

Chitons: These marine mollusks have hundreds to over a thousand tiny eyes built right into their shells. The eyes are so basic they don’t form images, but they can detect shadows, helping chitons stay safe.

Triops: Sometimes called “dinosaur shrimp,” triops are tiny crustaceans with a visible third eye along with their two main ones.

Why so many eyes?

It turns out there’s a reason for all these extras. Each animal uses its eyes in different ways to adapt to its surroundings:

• For reptiles, that third eye helps regulate hormones and sense environmental changes.
• For spiders and crabs, having more eyes gives a broader visual range, especially useful when you’re both predator and prey.
• For jellyfish and chitons, all those eyes help them survive without needing a brain as complex as ours.

Some animals take their eye design even further. Take the diving beetle larva, which has 12 eyes with dual retinas and bifocal lenses, making it one of nature’s most complicated visual systems.

And then there’s the showstopper: the mantis shrimp. With eyes that can see ultraviolet, polarised light, and 12 to 16 different colour receptors (we only have three), it’s one of the most impressive visual systems on the planet. Each eye even has three parts, meaning it technically sees the world from three angles at once.

It’s easy to assume that our way of seeing is the “normal” one, but nature clearly has other ideas.