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  • BBC Wildlife Magazine

    Q&A

    Aug 26, 2021 4 minutes

    We solve your wildlife mysteries.

    Email your questions to wildquestions@immediate.co.uk

    More amazing facts at discoverwildlife.com

    MARINE BIOLOGY

    Is it true that sharks have teeth on their eyeballs?

    Not quite – but one species does have tooth-like scales on its eyes! A paper published in 2020 reported that the eyeballs of the whale shark, the world’s largest living fish, are each covered with thousands of dermal denticles. These are essentially tiny, flat, modified teeth, similar to scales but covered in enamel. Found on the skin of sharks and rays, and on the nictitating membrane (translucent third eyelid) of some species, dermal denticles reduce drag and turbulence while swimming, and possibly also provide protection and deter ectoparasites.

    The shape and

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