The better to see you with . . .
Stomatopods are visual hunters and need to be able to see their prey, as well as potential predators. Having their eyes up on stalks makes it easier to survey the scene from the safety of their burrows. Also, since stomatopods often fight one another, their good vision helps them size up the opposition!
The stomatopod above is missing one eye
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Stomatopod eyes peer out of a burrow
Stomatopods have stereo vision with just one eye. Having two independent eyes provides insurance if they lose one eye in a fight or when molting (shedding their “skeleton” as they grow), as happened to the stomatopod at left.
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