Have you ever sat and watched your kitten play, chasing bugs or staring out the window, and wondered how kittens see the world?A cat’s eyes are similar to humans Although there are some similarities in the eyes, there are also differences. For example, consider students. Cats have long slit pupils, while ours are round.
But why are cats’ pupils so long? What is the purpose? The reason our favorite felines have vertically slit pupils is because they are predators. Think of this pupil shape as an evolutionary advantage. Here’s a closer look at the structure of a cat’s eye and how the slit-shaped pupil helps the kitten corner its prey.
cat eye structure
Before we go into more detail about the pupils of a cat’s eye, let’s take a quick look at the structure of a cat’s eye and how it works.
Honestly, cat eyes have many similarities with our eyes. Just like us, they have a sclera (or the outer part of the eye known as the white of the eye). There is also an iris with a pupil in the center. The iris is the colored part of the eye and controls the amount of light that enters the eye through the pupil.
Cats have crystalline lenses in their eyes just like ours. This lens allows light to pass through and focus on the retina of both cats and humans, creating a sharp image. However, there are some subtle differences in how cat and human lenses function. Humans actively focus on objects at different distances by changing the curvature of their lenses. In contrast, a cat’s eye adjusts its focus by moving the lens away from or closer to the retina, depending on whether it is focusing on a distant or nearby object. Humans have better eye accommodation than cats, but that doesn’t put them at a disadvantage.
Humans and felines also have a retina, but there are some differences between the two species in this part of the cat’s eye. You’ve probably heard of two types of cells in your eyes called rods and cones, also known as photoreceptors. Cats and humans have three types of cone cells in their retinas, but cats see far fewer colors than humans and are thought to have less rich color vision. In fact, scientists believe that humans may be able to see colors similar to those with red-green color blindness. Our feline friends also have far more rods in their retinas than we do, which greatly contributes to their ability to see well in the dark.
Speaking of night vision, cats have a layer in their eyes called “night vision.” tapetum lucidum This increases the amount of light that reaches the retina, amazingly improving the feline’s night vision.
Finally, cats’ eyes have corneas like ours. This part of the eye is a protective layer that also refracts light onto the lens and focuses it on the retina. However, a cat’s cornea is much larger than a human’s, allowing more light to enter.
Then, of course, there are the students!
Why do cats have slit pupils?
So why do cats have long slit eyes? Because they are hunters and several eye characteristics serve this purpose.
The cat’s eye pupil has a vertical slit, which allows the pupil shape to change from a thin line to a thick round pupil, allowing more or less light in depending on the outside light situation. This is why a cat’s pupils may have vertical slits, while others may be large and wide. The amount of light that enters the eyes affects how images are created in the cat’s brain to understand the world around it. Of course, different light conditions will produce different images.
Consider how big your pupils get when it’s dark. This is because our pupils try to let in more light in order to see better. However, in brighter environments, pupils become smaller to prevent glare during the day. The same goes for cat eyes. But a cat’s eyes can do it more elaborately because their pupils are vertical and slit-shaped.
Because the pupils are vertically slit-shaped, a cat’s eyes have more control over the amount of light that enters. Cats are crepuscular and play and hunt in the dark, which gives them a huge advantage when hunting. Their pupils are very wide and can let in even small amounts of light, allowing them to see prey in the dark. During the day, a cat’s pupils revert to small vertical slits to prevent excess light from entering. The vertical slit shape also means cats can more accurately locate prey by sharpening their depth perception.
Interestingly, large cats such as tigers and lions have round pupils rather than slit-like pupils. The reasons for this are not precisely defined, but may be due to higher height from the ground, acting as an active forager rather than an ambush predator, or differences in circadian rhythms compared to cats. It is thought that.
final thoughts
Cats have vertically slit pupils because they are predators. This pupil shape provides cats with an optimal dynamic range, fully dilating at night and constricting significantly during the day to prevent glare, allowing them to spot and chase prey in both bright and dark conditions. Masu. A cat’s eyes have a vertical slit shape, which gives them more control over how much and how little light they let in as they change shape. This shape also helps cats focus on their prey and reduces blurring of horizontal contours. Call it an evolutionary advantage.
Featured image credit: photosbelkina, Shutterstock
