Extinct monitor lizard had four eyes, fossil evidence shows
April 2, 2018, Cell Press
Researchers reporting in Current Biology on April 2 have evidence that an extinct species of monitor lizard had four eyes, a first among known jawed vertebrates. Today, only the jawless lampreys have four eyes.
The third and fourth eyes refer to pineal and parapineal organs, eye-like photosensory structures on the top of the head that play key roles in orientation and in circadian and annual cycles. The new findings help to elucidate the evolutionary history of these structures among vertebrates.
Read more at:
https://phys.org/news/2018-04-extinct-lizard-eyes-fossil-evidence.html#jCp