Blind cave fish...eyeless or not?
- Thread starter MN_Rebel
- Start date
They might have been crossed with similar regular tetras to dilute inbreeding.
Losing eyes is easy, getting them back after losing them is VERY difficult.
But many cave fish still have remnants of eyes.
Losing eyes is easy, getting them back after losing them is VERY difficult.
But many cave fish still have remnants of eyes.
I don't think they are crossed with the regular tetras given the new information presented as these eyed tetras were results of hybridization with two different populations. Many cave fish may have remnants of eye but they are usually disappeared when they are adults. This group still has eyes.
True, makes sense. If they were two separate populations they may have lost different parts of the eye.
it was most likely due to have different alleles that is responsible for disappearance of eyes and since two populations have evolved separately (being in different caves and isolated from other populations)
That's what I meant, the retina genes were probably the first to go in both since that is an energy expensive organ, from there it is a toss up. The recombination of the cross must have rebuilt the majority of lost traits. Got pictures? I'm really interested to see what they've got.
i had a school of 5 for almost 2 years and got to about 3 inches long. When they are first born they do have eyes but they are tiny and vestigial. as they grow older they become covered with flaps of skin to protect against damage so they do have eyes, but in the way humans have an appendix, shriveled and useless from lack of use
From what I read on these guys is that they are born with eyes and skin slowly grows over them as they don't use them due to the darkness of the caves.
I love them though. Pretty cool fish. Here are mine feeding on cucumber. They will eat until nothing is left.
[video=youtube_share;9zkMfTDaAOk]http://youtu.be/9zkMfTDaAOk[/video]
I love them though. Pretty cool fish. Here are mine feeding on cucumber. They will eat until nothing is left.
[video=youtube_share;9zkMfTDaAOk]http://youtu.be/9zkMfTDaAOk[/video]
