Blind cave fish, Astyanax mexicanus or Astyanax characidae
The blind cave tetra has evolved to have non functional eyes Natural selection theory explains that fish living in a completely dark environment might lose their capacity for vision Genetic changes mutations leading to a loss of eye function would not be a survival disadvantage and thus would be passed on to offspring Studies have shown there to be at least two distinct genetic lines of the blind cave tetra indicating that the trait may have evolved separately in different groups an example of convergent evolution The species is considered a subspecies of the Mexican tetra Astyanax mexicanus
Size: 5266px × 3525px
Photo credit: © Martin Shields / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: adaptation, adapted, albino, astyanax, blind, cave, cavefish, characidae, dark, environment, evolution, fauna, fish, lightless, mexican, mexicanus, mutation, tetra, vertebrate
