Mexican blind tetra

Mexican blind tetra

Scientific name: Astyanax mexicanus
Situation in the wild: Common
Jerusalem Zoo: Exhibit at the Underground World Exhibit
Mexican blind Tetra is a fish with no eyes! Blind Tetras live in deep caves in North-East Mexico and its river-living con-specifics have developed eyes and a colourful body! Although adults have no eyes, the fry hatch with eyes but those get covered with skin and degenerate during growth. . Their diet consists mostly of worms, aquatic insects and small crustaceans. To identify their food without seeing it, blind tetras have an excellent olfactory sense and also taste buds all over their heads! Blind tetras find their way by using the lateral line – a system that senses pressure changes in the water, eg changes resulting from movement of individuals in their environment, water swept away nearby objects or the sounds you hear under water. In many fish in caves, which are completely blind, this sense is well developed together with other particular senses that allow them to swim and eat in total darkness. Blind Tetra have a colorless body. Because there is no light below the surface there is also no need for colors usually intended for communication or UV protection and also, there is no way for them to see colors. So Blind tetra, like many animals that dwell underground, have no skin color, making their skin appear white and even transparent. These fish live in schools. You may observe the Mexican blind tetra at the "Underground world" exhibit together with other underground dwellers.

(Photo: Tamar Raviv)

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