Four Eyes of the Whirligig Beetles
The whirligig beetle hunts on the surface of water, with one eye submerged underwater to hunt for prey, while the other eye stays above the water to keep watch for predators. Air and water have different refractive indexes, which affects the focusing of the eye. Most species have eyes adapted to one environment and do not focus well in the other environment. To accommodate this, whirligig beetles have eyes with different structures to match the refractive indexes of both air and water, allowing them to observe objects both under water and above the surface simultaneously, without compromising focusing sensitivity.
Source: Youtube: FUMIHIKO HIRAI
Language: English
Date: August 31, 2021