Scientists discover a fish that can see through its skin even after death

A new study revealed a strange feature of the pigfish, which is that it can change the color of its skin according to the surrounding environment, with the help of special sensor cells, even after it is no longer alive.

This study allowed scientists to understand more about the nature and behavior of these fish, as well as their ability to adapt to the surrounding environment. Adapts.

“It looks like they’re watching their color change,” said study co-author Lori Schweckert.

“In a way, they can tell the animal what its skin looks like, because it can’t bend over to look,” said Sonky Johnson, another author of the study.

The researchers said there are a number of marine organisms that can change color, which helps them adapt to changes in environmental temperatures, attract partners and provide camouflage.

According to the researchers, including those from the University of North Carolina, Wilmington in the US, the cells on their bodies called chromophores contain pigments, crystals or tiny reflective sheets, which enables these species to rapidly make changes in their colors.

Coral reef-dwelling fish, commonly found in the Atlantic Ocean from North Carolina to Brazil, do this for camouflage, to escape predators, or perhaps for social cues.

The scientists were surprised to see the color activity change even after their death.

In the new research published in the journal Nature CommunicationsExperts used microscopy to determine the effect of light on different parts of the fish.

They found that a photoreceptor, called SWS1, located just below the chromatophores, may be involved in this process.

The researchers said the cells are sensitive to bright light through the colors expressed by the chromatophores, specifically the wavelength of light found in the corals’ habitat.

They also confirmed that these receptors provide feedback to the fish about where and how changes occur in different parts of their skin.

“By examining the morphology, physiology, and optics of cutaneous photoreception in porcine fish,” the scientists wrote in the study. [Lachnolaimus Maximus]we describe the cellular mechanism by which chromatophore activity takes place [i.e., dispersion and aggregation] It changes the transmitted light that hits the SWS1 receptors in the skin.”

“Animals can literally take a picture of their skin from the inside,” Dr. Johnson explained. “In a way, they can tell an animal what their skin looks like, because they can’t bend over to look.”

“Just to be clear, we’re not saying that pigfish skin acts like an eye,” Dr. Schweckert said, adding that “eyes are capable of more than just detecting light.”