What unique anatomical feature aids the White Crappie’s visual acuity, especially in low light?
Answer
An extra lens in its eyeball
The white crappie possesses remarkable visual capabilities, essential for its feeding strategy that involves straining small zooplankton and later consuming larger fish prey. This high visual acuity, particularly valuable in dimmer underwater conditions, is supported by two key adaptations. First, it has an extra lens structure located in its eyeball. Second, its retina contains a high concentration of pigments specifically sensitive to red light, allowing it to perceive visual stimuli and detect movement very effectively even when light penetration is poor.
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