Researchers Get a Peek at How Other Animals See the World

D-brief
By Cody Cottier
Jun 6, 2018 8:34 PMMay 21, 2019 6:02 PM
A household scene as viewed by various pets and pests. Human eyesight is roughly seven times sharper than a cat, 40 to 60 times sharper than a rat or a goldfish, and hundreds of times sharper than a fly or a mosquito. (Image courtesy of Eleanor Caves)
A household scene as viewed by various pets and pests. Human eyesight is roughly seven times sharper than a cat, 40 to 60 times sharper than a rat or a goldfish, and hundreds of times sharper than a fly or a mosquito. (Image courtesy of Eleanor Caves)

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Animals have us beat in basically every test of sensory perception. Bats bounce ultrasonic waves to locate prey, and bears can smell a carcass from miles away.

But our abilities are respectable in one category: visual acuity. A study published recently in the journal Trends in Ecology & Evolution shows that humans see the world in finer detail than almost any other living creature.

Do You See What I See?

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