Yesterday was World Sight Day – a day that focuses on eye health and ensuring equal access to care and treatment around the globe. To celebrate, I’ve put together a list of creatures that have some of the most fascinating facts when it comes to their eyes and vision. Let me know your favourite!
Tarsier
Even though these primates are small in size, they actually have the largest eyes of any living mammal in comparison to their body size. Each eye is roughly the same volume as their brain!
Dragonfly
As you can see, a dragonfly’s eyes covers almost all of their head, which is why they have close to 360-degree vision. Some species are believed to have over 28,000 lenses per compound eye!
Reindeer
As the season changes, so does the colour of a reindeer’s eyes. They will often change from gold in the summer to blue in the winter as this helps them to make the most out of the changing light.
Ostrich
These flightless birds have the largest eyes of any living land animal. Bigger than its brain, their eyes measure five centimetres in width!
Chameleon
These reptiles are famous for their ability to have a pair of eyes that move independently of one another – which is known as monocular vision – in every possible direction.
Freelance wildlife writer, editor, and proofreader. 