MINDEN PICTURES – Pupils

A recent study published in Science Advances explores the question ‘Why do animal eyes have pupils of different shapes?’. In short – if an animal is a hunter they have round or vertical pupils and, in turn, prey species have horizontal pupils which give them the advantage of a panoramic view to detect predators and to flee across uneven ground. But wait, why do small cats (lynx, bobcats and housecats) have vertical pupils while large cats (pumas, leopards and lions) have round ones? The authors suggest that ambush predators have vertical pupils that determine distance better while round pupils are more useful for cats that chase down their prey.