Sam Galle
Univ. of California
Investigated how flatfish locate, track, and capture prey.

Sam Galle, NOAA Hollings Scholar, recently finished a summer internship with the AFSC's Groundfish Assessment Program, investigating how flatfish locate, track, and capture prey. By analyzing high-speed video of feeding events and calculating the visual acuity, ocular movement ranges, and retinal mosaic patterns within the eyes of English sole (Parophrys vetulus) and starry flounder (Platichthys stellatus), Sam found that the dorsal and ventral eyes of these species had very different morphological arrangements and were used for different roles in prey capture. This discovery may be the first instance in which a vertebrate has been found to possess asymmetrical morphological constructs within the visual system. After additional analysis is completed, Sam hopes to publish his findings.