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Science 27 April 1973:
Vol. 180. no. 4084, pp. 413 - 415
DOI: 10.1126/science.180.4084.413
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Articles

Visual Discrimination in Sharks without Optic Tectum

R. Curtis Graeber 1, Sven O. E. Ebbesson 1, and John A. Jane 1

1 Departments of Psychology and Neurological Surgery, University of Virginia, Charlottesville 22903, and Lerner Marine Laboratory, Bimini, Bahamas

After complete removal of the optic tectum, nurse sharks can learn to discriminate black versus white and horizontal versus vertical stripes. This finding is contrary to the traditional belief of exclusive tectal control over visuomotor behavior in lower vertebrates and suggests a role for the telencephalon in the vision of these primitive animals.


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Visuomotor Behaviors in Larval Zebrafish after GFP-Guided Laser Ablation of the Optic Tectum.
T. Roeser and H. Baier (2003)
J. Neurosci. 23, 3726-3734
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Two Visual Systems in the Frog.
D. Ingle (1973)
Science 181, 1053-1055
   Abstract »    PDF »


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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)