10/09/2026
Imagine having an extra eyeball. What sorts of things would you watch with your extra eye? Bearded dragons don't have to imagine - they have a third 'eye' right in the middle of the top of their heads! It's not a true eyeball quite like the other two on the sides of the head. It doesn't see pictures, but instead, it can sense light and shadows. It looks like a tiny, pale, shiny scale that sits between their regular eyes. This special third eye is called a parietal eye or a pineal eye because it sits over the parietal lobe of the skull, and is connected to the pineal body in the brain. It only has a rudimentary retina and lens, which is why this eye cannot produce images. But it is incredibly helpful in that it lets bearded dragons know if there might be a predator flying overhead or approaching from above. And because it can detect changes in light and shadow, that third eye also helps control sleep patterns by tracking day and night cycles. It's like having a built in alarm system and alarm clock, all in one!
