Reports have surfaced in the last couple of days that a foetus of an albino cyclops shark has been discovered by fishermen in Mexico. Initially, written off as a hoax due to it’s unbelievable appearance, the shark has now been examined by Mexican biologist Felipe Galvan-Magana and declared real.
The shark has been diagnosed with with cyclopia, a rare defect that causes the development of only one eye.
Shark expert Felipe Galvan Magana, of Mexico’s Centro Interdisciplinario de Ciencias del Mar, said: ‘This is extremely rare. As far as I know, less than 50 examples of an abnormality like this have been recorded.’
Cyclopia is a rare congenital disorder which causes the failure of the front portion of the brain to properly divide the orbits of the eye into two discrete cavities.
Cyclopia occurs within the spectrum of brain and face defects known as holoprosencephaly, which in severe cases can result in miscarriage or stillbirth.
However doubts still remain from certain corners due to the mammalian appearance of the dusky shark’s eye. Only further examination will reveal the truth behind this unlikely creature.