Why are there different pupil shapes?

You have certainly noticed how different animal eyes are from ours, but do you know the reason for so many variations?

A team of researchers made a connection between an animal's pupil shape and its niche. For the study, 214 species - all terrestrial - and three pupil shapes were chosen: vertical, horizontal and round. Thus, it was possible to find a pattern that links this part of the eye to the activities of each group.

The publication, which appeared in Science Advances magazine, pointed out that vertically elongated pupils often appear in predators that hunt both day and night. The explanation is simple: this group needs to precisely define prey distance, and it is this optical characteristic that makes hunting easier.

However, this rule applies only to small animals: cats have vertical pupils, while large cats like lions have round pupils.

In fact, round pupils usually appear on taller animals that chase their prey. Although this feature helps to estimate the distance and also the panoramic view, experts explain that the relationship of this type of pupil with the group is not as strong as in the other two cases.

Already the horizontal pupils generally belong to prey. Another feature of this group is to have the eyes located more to the side of the head, allowing a panoramic view and facilitating the perception of predators around it.