Can Animals See How we See?

By: Eva Sharma

Are the things humans see different from what animals see? Most animals have panoramic eyesight which is where the eyes have a wide range of vision. Animals such as horses, cows, and sheep have eyes that are notably apart, which means some can see the back of their heads! We’ll be talking about the vision of dogs, birds, and crabs.

A Dog's Vision

This might be surprising to everyone, but dogs can only see colours in shades of blue and yellow. Whilst we humans can see all red, blue, and yellow. Wild dogs hunt, and to help them hunt they have a wide view of vision. Dogs are around 20 times better when looking at moving objects. Do you ever wonder why dogs can see better than us at night? It's because they have a lens in their eyes which makes their vision brighter than humans.

A Bird's Vision

Birds can fly and vision is very important for them, as this is what helps them catch their prey. Birds are one of the group of animals which have large eyes. Their eyes are placed in a solid vision making them experts in calculating distances. Birds can’t see well under low light conditions; but some birds do migrate over low light conditions. Birds can identify steady-moving objects and animals which helps birds during migration.

A Crab's Vision

Two of the many species of crabs living on the ocean floor have colour-coding skills which help them to identify food. Most crabs live on the ocean floor but how can they see colour? Crabs have a sensitivity to the colours: blue and UV (ultraviolet) light. Female blue crabs become blind when choosing their partner. Fun fact: Crabs can’t move their eyes unless they rotate their body around.

Did you ever think about how your pet can see? Well, now you know. Dogs can see better at night, and both crabs and birds can sense UV (ultraviolet) light, but that depends on each species of animal. Have fun completing a word search!

Word Search: Can Animals See How we See?