Turkish Journal of Zoology
Abstract
Eyelids play a crucial role in protecting the eyes of vertebrates; however, certain reptile species, such as Ophisops elegans, completely lack movable eyelids. In this study, we present the first video-documented evidence of a blink-like reflex in O. elegans, captured through endoscopic field observations and corroborated by laboratory video analysis. The observed movement consisted of a brief convex deformation of the ocular surface, lasting approximately 0.3 s and resembling a blink despite the presence of a fixed transparent brille. This behavior was observed once in the field and twice under controlled laboratory conditions. We propose that O. elegans may employ subtle contractions of the ocular musculature to mimic the protective function of blinking. These findings indicate a novel compensatory mechanism in eyelidless lizards and underscore the need for further research into ocular adaptations among reptiles.
Author ORCID Identifier
TURAN ÇELEBİ: 0009-0006-2419-1106
YUSUF ÇELİKAĞI: 0009-0005-9309-2534
TUANA KINAY: 0009-0009-5261-3494
ARDA KUYUCU: 0000-0003-3685-8044
MUAMMER KURNAZ: 0000-0002-0498-0208
MEHMET ŞAHİN: 0000-0003-0834-5081
DOI
10.55730/1300-0179.3249
Keywords
Ocular adaptation, reptile vision, eyelids, snake-eyed lizard
First Page
52
Last Page
55
Publisher
The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye (TÜBİTAK)
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
ÇELEBİ, T. M, ÇELİKAĞI, Y, KINAY, T, KUYUCU, A. C, KURNAZ, M, & ŞAHİN, M. K (2026). Blinking without eyelids: first video-documented evidence of a blink-like reflex in Ophisops elegans (Reptilia: Lacertidae). Turkish Journal of Zoology 50 (1): 52-55. https://doi.org/10.55730/1300-0179.3249
