Although this image just looks like a rock formation, pictured here is actually a species of chiton, Acanthopleura granulata. Recent research on this animal identified functional eye-like structures on each of the shell plates. Rather than being formed from proteins, these “eyes” are actually composed of aragonite, a carbonate mineral. Interestingly, the team of researchers concluded that aragonite can be used to form a lens effective both above and below water.
Photo by Hans Hillewaert (CC)
See: Speiser, D. et al, (2011), A Chiton Uses Aragonite Lenses to Form Images, Current Biology, 21: 8, pp 665-670.
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