Thomas W. Cronin: Which animal has the best eyesight?

Which animal has the best eyesight?

The animal kingdom boasts an incredible diversity of eyes. Some rotate independently while others have squiggly-shaped pupils. Some have protective lids, others squirt blood. But which creature has the best sight? Which sees best in the darkness? Which sees the most detail? Which animal sees the most color? And finally, which detects motion the fastest? Thomas W. Cronin investigates. [Directed by Josefina Preumayr, narrated by Addison Anderson, music by André Aires].

In the animal kingdom, eyes come in a dazzling variety, each adapted for a specific visual feat. Colossal squids have soccer-ball-sized eyes to sense faint light in the deep, while birds of prey like peregrine falcons spot rabbits from over three kilometers away. Bluebottle butterflies can see with at least 15 types of photoreceptors, and flies process visual motion ten times faster than humans. Each animal’s vision excels in its own way, but no single eye dominates every category.