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pineal eye
pineal eye (epiphysial eye, median eye) In Sphenodontidae (tuatara), some lizards, Petromyzonidae (lamprey), and many fossil vertebrates, a structure on the top of the head that resembles an eye, with a lens and a retina, linked to the brain by a nerve. It is the larger and more developed of a pair of sacs that form by evagination of part of the brain. Above it there is a gap in the skull covered by almost transparent skin. The function of the eye is uncertain but probably it is involved in regulating diurnal rhythms.
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MICHAEL ALLABY. "pineal eye." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. MICHAEL ALLABY. "pineal eye." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O8-pinealeye.html MICHAEL ALLABY. "pineal eye." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O8-pinealeye.html |
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pineal eye
pineal eye See median eye.
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Cite this article
"pineal eye." A Dictionary of Biology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "pineal eye." A Dictionary of Biology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O6-pinealeye.html "pineal eye." A Dictionary of Biology. 2004. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O6-pinealeye.html |
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