Small, flying and swimming animals are generally more likely to see changes in the speed of light than other creatures – and with good reason. That’s according to the preliminary results of an analysis presented by the University of Galway in Ireland at a meeting of the British Ecological Society this week.
The scientists compared the temporal resolution of the eyes in more than a hundred animals, including humans. Accordingly, dragonflies and dragonflies are among the creatures with the highest sensitivity to changes in their environment. They can detect 300 changes per second (300 Hertz) compared to only 65 in humans. Dogs have slightly faster vision with the ability to detect 75 Hertz.
Among vertebrates, songbirds known as tawny flycatchers have the fastest vision, seeing with a temporal resolution of 146 hertz. Crown of Thorns starfish had the slowest temporal resolution among the animals analyzed, at 0.7 Hertz. It feeds on coral and is eaten by several fish.
According to preliminary findings, the different speeds during vision are due, among other things, to different responsiveness. Lead scientist Kevin Healy explained in an interview with the German Press Agency that the smaller and more agile an animal, the greater the advantages brought by the higher temporal resolution of the eyes. The researcher says that it would be of no use for the starfish to detect a change that they cannot respond to anyway. Some hunters, on the other hand, have to detect rapid changes in order to pursue agile prey.
However, its fast sensing ability is associated with a high energy expenditure. Creatures that don’t need them will therefore use their resources elsewhere, Healy says.
An unexpected finding of the study was that the eyes of marine predators had higher resolution than land predators. “We think the difference may be that in the water, predators can constantly adjust their position as they pounce on their prey,” Healy said. Said. A jumping spider that throws itself at its prey can no longer do that after it takes off.
But there are also differences within individual species. Some studies show that goalkeepers perceive changes in football faster than untrained people. Drinking coffee can also increase ability for a short time.
Data from multiple studies were used for the analysis, in which the temporal resolution of the animals’ eyes was measured, among other things, using an electroretinogram. It records how often an optic nerve signals when the eye is exposed to accelerated flashes of light. (SDA)