Sea snakes have found a “rear vision”
It helps to hide from predators.
Olive sea snake (Aipysurus laevis) inhabiting waters of the Indian and Pacific oceans, are able to “see” the tail.
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They feel on the skin of the tail light and it encourages snakes to stay in the dark or hiding in the shelter. So they can protect their vulnerable tails from predators, such as sharks, say scientists from the University of Adelaide study published in the journal Molecular Ecology.
Aipysurus lived all my life in the sea, hiding under coral or rocky ledges. Their length can reach 1.5 meters. The venom of Aipysurus is considered one of the most dangerous among the 60 species of sea snakes. Aipysurus feed on small fish.
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The sensitivity of the tail to light found at the three Aipysurus species, but in General, the olive sea snake was the only one among 10 thousand species of reptiles, with a “tail vision”. Scientists do not know why it appeared in these snakes.
RNA analysis showed the presence in the skin of the photopigment melanopsin that is involved in the vision process in animals and humans and several genes that are involved in the conversion of light into information in the nervous system.
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Further study of this feature Aipysurus will help scientists better understand the genetic background of sensitivity to light, living beings.
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