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Florida Fish and Wildife via Flickr
The eyeball that caused a sensation was cut from a swordfish's head, apparently by a fisherman, scientists say.
The giant eyeball from Florida that captured the world's attention came from a swordfish, scientists reported today. They said straight-line slashes on the softball-sized orb suggest that it was freshly cut out of the fish's head by a fisherman and tossed overboard. The fact that it washed ashore and was found by a beachcomber so quickly contributed to a rare string of circumstances that sparked last week's collective "ewws" and "ahhs."
"It's definitely been unusual to have a situation quite like this," Kevin Baxter, a spokesman for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, told me today. The commission has been fielding tons of inquiries ever since pictures of the eerie eyeball turned up on Thursday. If you haven't seen them yet, be sure to check out the commission's Facebook page and Flickr gallery.
Observers had speculated that the eye might have come from a large fish, or a giant squid, or even a whale — but in retrospect, the scenario involving a swordfish caught at sea seems to make the most sense. Genetic testing is being conducted to confirm the hypothesis.
Here's the explanation from the commission's news release:
"After examining an eye found on a south Florida beach this week, researchers from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission believe the specimen came from a swordfish. Genetic testing will be done to confirm the identification.
"'Experts on site and remotely have viewed and analyzed the eye, and based on its color, size and structure, along with the presence of bone around it, we believe the eye came from a swordfish,' said Joan Herrera, curator of collections at the FWC’s Fish and Wildlife Research Institute in St. Petersburg. 'Based on straight-line cuts visible around the eye, we believe it was removed by a fisherman and discarded.'
"The approximately softball-size eye was recovered by a citizen in Pompano Beach on Wednesday. FWC staff received the eye later that day. Swordfish are commonly fished in the Florida Straits offshore of south Florida at this time of year.
"A highly migratory fish, swordfish can be found from the surface to as deep as 2,000 feet. Swordfish in the Atlantic can reach a maximum size of over 1,100 pounds, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Swordfish feed on a wide variety of fish and invertebrates."
More sea marvels:
- Florida fishermen pick up dying giant squid
- Hawaiian squid carries a built-in light
- Boy finds a bonanza in whale vomit
- Gallery: 10 deep-sea secrets revealed
Alan Boyle is NBCNews.com's science editor. Connect with the Cosmic Log community by "liking" the log's Facebook page, following @b0yle on Twitter and adding the Cosmic Log page to your Google+ presence. To keep up with Cosmic Log as well as NBCNews.com's other stories about science and space, sign up for the Tech & Science newsletter, delivered to your email in-box every weekday. You can also check out "The Case for Pluto," my book about the controversial dwarf planet and the search for new worlds.
Leave a Comment:
why is this such a big deal...its an eyeball...obviously from a large animal...i could tell you it probably came from a fish...woopty doo...
You have a very keen "eye" of the obvious.
At least you didn't say something crazy like an oarfish.
Ahhhhh............I had an oarfish once........but then he got hisself adopted.............aaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
joke would have been better if you said "I had an oarfish once...but then I got fired"
No it was the battle between "Lady Justice" and "Big Brother" reaching an
impasse. This time it was "Big Brother's" turn to lose an eye from
their constant battle and washed ashore. Tsk tsk.. the battle is still on.
It's the other eye I am wondering about lmao. Where is it?
Gee, Eye don't know. Let me sea if I can find it.
"Oh a wand'ring minstrel eye..."
What a let down. I was hoping it was one of Jimmy Hoffa's.
this BullwhipGriffin seems to know a lot about this eye. he's onto something i think. best be looking over your shoulder from now on 'cause the government boys are monitoring this blog...
My, what big eyes you have Swordy!! It's a shame that big eye didn't help you avert the fisherman!
The MLB Umpires Union are hoping to purchase it and transplant it into one of their "blind" umpires. They'll take all they can get!
The MLB Umpires Union is hoping to get their hands on it and it's match. Maybe that and a brain transplant will help some of their umpires.
I wonder if that "Big Eye" was keeping an "eye" out.
Don't worry about it. The MLB Umpires Union is collecting them for their "blind" umpires. Brains from donkeys are next!
Don't be so naive! Its a gov't cover up. The eye actually came from an alien colony deep beneath the ocean. The gov't has known about it for decades and it is acutally traceable to some siesmic activity as a result of a horrible accident at the colony! ~~ :-P
I believe that eye goes with the swordfish steaks in my refrigerator.
Eye can sea why this story was odd, but the wait and sea attitude for DNeye testing is not as eye popping as I thought it would be.
The brown pelicans down there live for this stuff. Fishermen on the keys are usually mobbed with pelicans while chopping up and throwing away the chum.
One sweep of the meat cleaver sends two dozen feathers and wings flying away in panic, but within ten seconds the fishermen has a couple dozen pelicans trying to be his best buddy all over again.
How dumbed down are our researchers that they don't know what this is and it becomes a week long press-feeding frenzy?!?
I think it looks like the eye of a patriot fan when they saw the final score of the seahawk game!
These eye puns are terrible. At no point in any of your postings did any of you come up with anything that could even remotely be considered funny. Everyone is now dumber for having read your "jokes". I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your souls.
one thing for sure, ANDREW ZIMMER was not anywhere close because he would have eaten it raw or cooked it doesn't matter, and then explained to us how it tasted.
Where's the alien conspiracy crowd? This must somehow be linked to Rosswell, NM, right?
Here's looking at you.
What was the purpose of carving out its eye? Seems unnecessarily barbaric.
Big Eye - cousin of Big Foot
Who is paying for this crap?
You are. The bill is going to you just because you asked.
If thats all it was, WHY werent the BIOLOGISTS readily able to tell that? Surely they've seen thousands of swordfish?