The huge mystery eyeball that washed up on a shore in Florida last week, has been identified.
Officials say according to the Los Angeles Times that the eye, which was the size of a softball, likely belonged to a swordfish.
The Sun Sentinel reported that Gino Covacci found the eye on the beach last week. He picked it up and put it in a plastic bag and left it in his refrigerator.
He said to the Sun Sentinel, "It was very, very fresh. It was still bleeding when I put it in the plastic bag."
The Sun Sentinel reported that Covacci notified a police officer who told him to call the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commision.
The LA Times said that the eyeball was sent to the florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute in St Petersburg for further study.
"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," said Joan Herrera, curator of collections at the Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute to the Los Angeles Times.
She added that they would do genetic testing to confirm this.
On a posting on the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's website, Herrera explained how the eyeball may have gotten lost at sea. "Based on straight-line cuts visible around the eye, we believe it was removed by a fisherman and discarded," Herrera said.
Biologist Sonke Johnsen of uke University said to LiveScience, "They get seriously big, but people don't realize it because most of the eye is inside the head."
Related story:
Bigeye Thresher Shark? Giant Mystery Eyeball Washes up On Florida Shore [PHOTO]
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