Owls Don't Have Eyeballs Office for Science and Society - McGill University

You know how we (humans) have eyeballs? Well, owls don’t. They have eye tubes or cylinders, rod-shaped eyes that do not move in their sockets as eyeballs do. Instead, owls have to move their bodies or heads in order to look around. Since moving their torsos would likely make noise that would alert their prey to their presence, owls have evolved to have necks that can spin up to 270° essentially silently. But why favour neck-spinning over the seemingly simple eye ball-spinning method of looking around? Well, night vision requires large corneas that allow for light to be collected effectively even in the dark, which is why most nocturnal animals (like the slow loris or tarsier) have huge eyes. But owls have small skulls, so their big eyes couldn’t expand out. They instead developed into the rod shape of today’s owls. They aren’t alone though: some deep-sea fish (like the anglerfish) also have rod-shaped eyes for seeing in the dark. @AdaMcVean

Environment, Page 2

Articles by Ada Mcvean B.sc. Office for Science and Society - McGill University

Office for Science and Society - McGill University

@the_random_sunflower on Instagram: “This one was really interesting. I didn't know that owls don't have eyeballs. . . . . #jw #jworg #j…

ICCB 2013 Program - Society for Conservation Biology

Why and How to Get a Job in a Business School: A Guide for Philosophers (guest post) - Daily Nous

Owl Eye Magazine

Owl Eye Magazine

Celebrating the Superb owl

Our Articles Office for Science and Society - McGill University

WORLD THROUGH OWL EYES

Keith Lango (@keithlango) / X

Beyond the Hoot: The Remarkable Anatomy of Owls - Tomas Hensrud Gulla

WTF Fun Fact 12746 - Owls Don't Have Eyeballs

Pseudoscience, Page 3