Animal Eye Facts

Animals’ eyes are so different to ours, some animals can look behind their heads and others are colour blind; but we all have something in common…. We all need good vision!

Did you Know?

• The largest eyeball on the planet is 18 inches wide, about the size of a large watermelon and it belongs to The Giant Squid.
• An ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain.
• A chameleon's eyes can look in different directions - at the same time.
• Dogs can’t tell the difference between the colours red and green.
• Dolphins sleep with one eye open.
• Many hamsters blink only one eye at a time.
• An ant has only two eyes. But each eye contains lots of smaller eyes. This is called a ‘compound eye’.
• The shark cornea has been used in eye surgery, since its cornea is similar to a human cornea.
• The night vision of a cat is amazing! In order to see they require only one-sixth as much light as a human. They cannot, however, see in total darkness. When enough light is not available, they use their whiskers to feel their way around.
• Cats’ eyes offer them almost 285 degrees of sight in three dimensions. This is ideal vision for hunting.
• Cats do see in color, and can distinguish yellow, blue, and green hues. Their eyes are best, however, at detecting movement, and shades of gray.
• Crocodiles are color-blind.
• Crocodiles are blind in the water but have very keen sight in the air.
• Owls are the only bird that can see the colour blue!