# Most successful animal -- with no eyes? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 4, 2012, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-successful-animal-with-no-eyes/633666 "2012-09-04T18:55:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![si\_blakely](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@si\_blakely](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/si_blakely)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2012, 9:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-successful-animal-with-no-eyes/633666/21 "2012-09-05T09:11:52Z")
> [@njtt](#): > > As for the actual answer to your question, no idea. 😉 And how many surviving _no eye deer_ have you seen, huh. They really are not all that successful 😃 Si ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2012, 10:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-successful-animal-with-no-eyes/633666/22 "2012-09-05T10:22:15Z")
I’ve looked, but can’t find it (yet), but I remember a documentary type TV program from a few years ago that featured, among other things, a mammal slightly larger than a large mouse that lived exclusively underground and had no eyes. ---
**Author:** ![si\_blakely](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@si\_blakely](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/si_blakely)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2012, 10:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-successful-animal-with-no-eyes/633666/23 "2012-09-05T10:44:11Z")
> [@Onomatopoeia](#): > > I’ve looked, but can’t find it (yet), but I remember a documentary type TV program from a few years ago that featured, among other things, a mammal slightly larger than a large mouse that lived exclusively underground and had no eyes. Are you thinking of the [Naked Mole Rat](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naked_mole_rat)? They have eyes, but with poor visual acuity. Si ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2012, 10:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-successful-animal-with-no-eyes/633666/24 "2012-09-05T10:54:19Z")
> [@si\_blakely](#): > > Are you thinking of the [Naked Mole Rat](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naked_mole_rat)? > > They have eyes, but with poor visual acuity. > > Si Hmm. Possibly. I remember the animal being much hairier and without eyes, but I will also admit to the possibility of a faulty memory. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2012, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-successful-animal-with-no-eyes/633666/25 "2012-09-05T11:50:50Z")
You’re probably thinking of the [Marsupial Mole](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marsupial_mole), whose eyes have degenerated to the point that there is no longer any actual function, just vestigial bodies. (Or possibly the [Golden Mole](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_mole), which is similar, though much less cute.) ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2012, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-successful-animal-with-no-eyes/633666/26 "2012-09-05T14:17:11Z")
> [@Kamino\_Neko](#): > > You’re probably thinking of the [Marsupial Mole](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marsupial_mole), whose eyes have degenerated to the point that there is no longer any actual function, just vestigial bodies. (Or possibly the [Golden Mole](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_mole), which is similar, though much less cute.) Yep, one of those two are probably it. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Controvert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@The\_Controvert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Controvert)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2012, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-successful-animal-with-no-eyes/633666/27 "2012-09-05T15:46:23Z")
Nematodes. Brilliant! ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2012, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-successful-animal-with-no-eyes/633666/28 "2012-09-06T18:52:15Z")
22 Grammys, 20 or so #1 hits and he ain’t even done yet! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-successful-animal-with-no-eyes/633666.md?page=1)