Why bother evolving eyelids when you can just evolve a really long tongue that you use to moisten your eyeballs any time they get dry? Sure it’s a little less practical, but what it lacks in practicality, it makes up for in cool-eye-licking-ability.
In fact, there’s even a Namibian gecko which takes licking itself a step further. Every morning it climbs to the top of a sand dune and waits for condensation to form on its face. It then licks the droplets off – an ingenious method of remaining hydrated in the harsh Namib Desert.
The gecko pictured was found in the rainforests of northern Colombia though, where there’s no shortage of water. He was out hunting, and geckos have eyes that are 350 times more sensitive to light than humans – so he’s just making sure those eyeballs are crystal clear by giving them a meticulous lick.
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Mourning Gecko (Lepidodactylus lugubris), Minca, Colombia