Fascinating about the shape of the eye...

Tweet

I heard some on TV a few days ago and decided to do some research. The shape of a animal's pupils actually reveals whether it is a hunter or one of the hunted. I had never thought about it. A new study has found that each shape seems to be tied to a particularly evolved way of being in the world. "We found a striking correlation between pupil shape and ecological niche." Says the lead author, Martin Banks. Here is what they found: Horizontal: Like horses, deer and sheep that are grazing usually have horizontal pupil shapes. Circular: Like us humans that are active during the day have circular shaped eyes. Vertical: Those predators active both day and night, such as domestic cats, tend to have vertical pupils. Vertically elongated: Scientists called "subcircular eyes," such as lynxes, are usually ambush predators that capture their prey using strategy as well as stealth instead of relying primarily on strength and speed. The predicted patterns come with a few exceptions, though. The scientists also found that those with slit-type eyes are predators that live close to the ground such as lizards and snakes. This allows for a better estimate of distance and control of light. Where human are too far off the ground to have these benefits. It is interesting to note too that the human pupil shape is tied to daytime activity. That suggests our ancestors were not night owls, as are some people today. Our earlier ancestors must have actively gathered and hunted, and did other things during the day, then snoozed the night away. Image: Flickr.com