Horses and Sheep and Their Amazing Eye Movements

Illustration of a horse with its nose pointed towards the ground. In this position the pupil of the eye is parallel to the ground. Caption: It would enhance the effective field of view

New research led by scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, suggests that the shape of some animals' pupils could reveal whether one is hunter or hunted. An analysis of 214 species of land animals shows that a creature's ecological niche is a strong predictor of pupil shape. Species with pupils that are vertical slits are more likely to be ambush predators that are active both day and night. In contrast, those with horizontally elongated pupils are extremely likely to be plant-eating prey species with eyes on the sides of their heads.

(Source: DCMP)

Metadata

Files 1

  • Horses and Sheep and Their Amazing Eye Movements

    Type:
    Video
    Format:
    Streaming
    Accommodations:
    English Audio Descriptions - Visual, English Captions - Auditory
    Languages:
    English
    License:
    GNU-GPL

Collections 2

This resource is part of one or more collections.

  • Animals
    • Video

    Resources to teach younger students about animals

    A collection containing 58 resources, curated by DIAGRAM Center

  • Vision
    • Image
    • Text Document
    • PDF
    • 2.5D Tactile Graphic
    • Video

    Resources related to vision

    A collection containing 12 resources, curated by Charles LaPierre