Giant eyeball mystery solved: Likely belonged to swordfish (VIDEO)
This giant eyeball washed up on a beach in South Florida last week, befuddling scientists. They now believe it belonged to a swordfish.
Florida's giant eyeball mystery is solved.
The huge, blue eyeball most likely belonged to a large swordfish, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission announced Monday.
"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," the Orlando Sentinel quoted Joan Herrera, curator of collections at the FWC's Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, as saying.
More from GlobalPost: Can you identify this enormous mystery eyeball?
"Based on straight-line cuts visible around the eye, we believe it was removed by a fisherman and discarded."
A beachgoer found the softball-sized eye while taking a stroll along Pompano Beach north of Fort Lauderdale last Wednesday.
The discovery — and resulting photo — went viral online and caused a buzz in the marine biology community, according to The Associated Press.
Experts had narrowed the options down to either a swordfish or a giant deep sea squid.
"Any time something weird and crazy washes up on the beach, it's definitely interesting," Heather Bracken-Grissom, an assistant marine science professor at Florida International University in Miami, told the AP.
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