Cyclops of the Sea: Pictures of a One-Eyed Shark

Cyclops Shark

Cyclops shark caught in Mexico.

(Image credit: Marcela Bejarano)

A "Cyclops" shark cut from the belly of a pregnant dusky shark in the Gulf of California. [Read full story]

Cyclops Shark

Cyclops shark caught in Mexico.

(Image credit: Marcela Bejarano)

The shark had other deformities beside its single eye, including albino coloring and the absence of nostrils.

Cyclops Shark

Cyclops shark caught in Mexico.

(Image credit: Marcela Bejarano)

Such embryonic deformities are rare, and the shark likely would not have survived outside the womb.

Cyclops Shark

Cyclops shark caught in Mexico.

(Image credit: Marcela Bejarano)

A Mexican fisherman caught the Cyclops shark's mother near Cerralvo Island in the Gulf of California and was surprised to find this strange creature inside, along with several normal embryos.

Cyclops Shark

Cyclops shark caught in Mexico.

(Image credit: Marcela Bejarano)

Shark researchers examined and x-rayed the preserved shark to verify that it was no hoax.

Cyclops Shark

Cyclops shark caught in Mexico.

(Image credit: Marcela Bejarano)

A close-up of the shark's single eye, made of functional optical material.

Cyclops Shark

Cyclops shark caught in Mexico.

(Image credit: Marcela Bejarano)

The fisherman who caught the shark is keeping his specimen. [Read full story]

Cyclops Shark

A one-eyed "Cyclops" shark caught off Mexico.

(Image credit: Pisces Fleet Sportfishing)

The shark researchers who examined the catch know of no environmental contamination that would have caused the shark's deformities. Most likely, the embryo was an accident of genetics.

Stephanie Pappas
Live Science Contributor

Stephanie Pappas is a contributing writer for Live Science, covering topics ranging from geoscience to archaeology to the human brain and behavior. She was previously a senior writer for Live Science but is now a freelancer based in Denver, Colorado, and regularly contributes to Scientific American and The Monitor, the monthly magazine of the American Psychological Association. Stephanie received a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of South Carolina and a graduate certificate in science communication from the University of California, Santa Cruz.