Sea Life

What do you Call a Fish With No Eyes?

What do you Call a Fish With No Eyes

Majority of the living creatures have five senses and one out of the five is the sense of sight or vision. Like humans, fish also see their environment through their eyes. The difference between the eyes of the fish and humans is that fish do not have eyelids unlike humans, so almost all the fish sleep with their eyes open. But, the question that arises here is whether there is any kind or species of the fish that do not have eyes? 

Somehow, the question seems stupid and you may think that it is stupid to even think like that. But, will you believe that there are some rare kinds of fish that do not actually have eyes? Yes, there are some fish species that do not have eyes. These kinds of fish include mexican blindcat and mexican cavefish. These fish that do not have eyes are generally said to be “Amblyopsidae”. 

Fish That have No Eyes

Most fish that do not have eyes normally live in the lowest areas of the river and oceans where it is already dark and hence it is not necessary to use eyesight. Here is a brief overview of the fish that do not have eyes:

Mexican Blindcat

Mexican blindcat was found in North American freshwater and this kind of fish only grows up to three inches. The color of this fish is a mixture of white and pink. If you observe the whole body structure of this fish then it looks similar to the other kinds of fish except for the difference that they do not have eyes.

Mexican Cavefish

It is generally believed that something happened to the genes that control their eye development. Since the Mexican blind cavefish also do not have eyes, they become creative to survive by smartly using their other senses to move, travel, eat, interact and reproduce.

How do Amblyopsidae Survive Without Eyes?

The fish that do not have eyes are also living for years. They have been eating, hunting, swimming, interacting and reproducing like all the other creatures. Since they do not have eyes to see, they have to smartly use their other senses and sense the objects through their gill movement and hearing sense.

The Bottom Line

There are some kinds of fish that do not have eyes unlike the other fish. They are called “Amblyopsidae”. These fish also mostly live in the deepest parts of the ocean where it is already dark so they do not need vision in their habitats. But, to survive in the water they need to move or swim in the water, sense things, hunt, eat and reproduce. To do that, they use the other senses smartly as an alternative to their eyes.

About the author

Hadia Atiq

A Writer passionate about learning and spreading the knowledge of sea life. I like to spread the knowledge of different types and species of fish and other aquatic creatures.