Thursday, December 25, 2014

Let Us Prey


Owl and Owl Monkey skulls

Almost all predators have eyes that face forward. Their dinner almost always has eyes that look out from the side (rabbits, deer, small passerine birds).

Predators need eyes that can work together to judge distance and timing with great accuracy, and they give up side vision (peripheral vision and rear vision) to achieve that.

Prey animals need eyes that can see all around them in order to avoid predators, and side-located eyes achieve that, at a slight loss to vision immediately ahead and immediately behind. A rabbit can see about 340 degrees all around him.

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