In comparison to the rest of the animal kingdom, humans have very good eyesight. We can see objects with clarity from far distances, have strong depth perception and can distinguish between up to 1 million different colors.
It is hypothesized that we can thank snakes for our good eyes. Throughout evolution, humans have had a higher exposure to venomous snakes than other mammals, so our eyes have adapted to be able to spot and avoid these dangerous predators.
We have the best vision out of the mammal class and arguably are second only to birds when it comes to on-land vision. Rods interpret light and cones interpret colors.
The more rods an eye has, the better its ability to see in low light. The owl has an abundance of these light-sensitive rod cells — almost a million per square millimeter, a density of 5 times greater than humans.
Two owl eyes weigh roughly an ounce, more than the eyes of a lb. Large eyes and lots of tightly packed light-sensitive rods allow the owl to have the best night vision in the animal kingdom. Like owls, shark eyes are dense with retinal rods, which allows them to see well in dark and murky waters.
In addition, their eyes contain a layer of mirrored crystal tissue called the tapetum lucidum. The tapetum lucidum acts to reflect light back into the retina, amplifying the amount of available light in their underwater habitat.
It is estimated that in perfect conditions a shark can see feet ahead of them. They therefore have a wide field of vision, and their color receptors allow them to pick up on small changes in color almost instantaneously.
This can help them find prey and mates, and avoid predators. When considering the incredible vision many animals possess, you may not think to put grazing animals on the list.
Research has found that pupil shape and eye orientation depend highly on the activities undertaken by different classes of animals. Tall daytime hunters generally have forward-facing eyes with round pupils, while small animals like cats, snakes, and foxes that hunt during the day and night have vertical slit pupils that help them with depth perception as well as night vision.
Prey animals, like deer, horses, and elk, who spend their time grazing out in the open and must be constantly on alert, have wide and narrow horizontal pupils, which gives them a wider field of vision than nearly any other animal.
When they lower their heads, their eyes also rotate so they have a constant view of the area around them. We can also improve our eyesight if we experience impaired vision, unlike any other animal. If you need vision correction, come to All About Eyes to get an examination from one of our optometrists and learn about the glasses and contact options we offer. Search for:. The Best Eyes in the Animal Kingdom.
Certain species of owls have been known to see prey as small as a mouse from half a mile away. However when hunting ,owls do rely heavily on their hearing, so it is difficult to tell how clearly an owl can see from this distance and how much of it is based off of hearing. During the night, it is thought that owls have been able to spot rabbits from between a mile to two miles away. This number is not confirmed and it does vary depending on the species of owl, but it is still a very impressive distance.
Owls do consume snakes, but it is not a main component of their diet so their hunting methods to catch snakes have been studied less. Owls hunt snakes mostly by relying on their sense of hearing but based on other measurements they should be able to see snakes from about half a mile away. Tawny owls are medium sized animals that are very common in wooded areas.
Snowy owls are native to arctic regions and is covered in white feathers. The snowy owl has great eyesight but it is not as sensitive as some other owls. This is because their prey is mostly buried under snow so they need to rely more on their hearing than their eyes. Snowy owls have been said to detect prey almost a mile away when they are in the sky hunting.
The barn owl is the most common of all the owl species across the world and is one of the most abundant birds.
Barn owls are thought to have a smaller field of vision than other owls, possibly due to their smaller eyes. They have been observed swooping down to catch prey from a height of 3 metres, but it is unknown as to whether they can see prey from a further distance.
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