Eyes like a large telescope

Scallops not only taste excellent, but are also otherwise highly amazing creatures.

Perfectly symmetrical shells, 12 to 17 regular ribs, a strong sphincter that produces a jet of water to escape or else to filter the seawater for microorganisms – all this outlines the scallop. What is fascinating, however, is the scallop’s highly complex organ of vision consisting of around 200 eyes on the edge of its shell, which gives the scallop an impression of its surroundings. The structure of each eye is reminiscent of ultra-modern large optical telescopes: mosaic-like mirrors made of complex crystal stacks capture the optical stimuli, and two retinas then produce the actual image.