Let’s be honest, chameleons have weird eyes. They can dart in any direction, unlike most animal eyes, and they’re just odd to look at. The reason behind this has mystified scientists for decades. However, thanks to 3D modeling and CT scans, scientists have now revealed the secret behind the chameleon’s weird, multidirectional eyes: spiral-shaped optic nerves.

New CT scans and 3D models reveal that chameleons’ eyes are wired differently from every other reptile’s, giving them the ability to look in two directions at once. Basically, they’re like tiny security cameras. Pretty neat, right?

The discovery was made by Dr. Juan Daza of Sam Houston State University and Dr. Edward Stanley of the Florida Museum of Natural History, who published their findings in Scientific Reports. They and their

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