How do animals see the world? Experiment

Experiment #1

Cut a piece of card stock paper 28cm (11in) long by 9 cm (3.5 in) wide

2) Cut an arch halfway on the card to fit your nose.

3) Put the card to your face. Your nose must fit in the arch, and the card must touch your forehead.

4) Bend the sides of the card slightly away from your head.

5) Flex the ends of the card so what you see is clearly in focus.

6) What is different about the way you now see things?

What’s happening
You can see from either side of your head at the same time.

Experiment #2

1) Cut two egg holders from the carton

2) Using a skewer, make a hole in the bottom of each holder about 0.5cm (1/4 in) across. Make sure the holes are a little off center.

3) Put an egg holder over each of you eyes so the hols point in opposite directions.

What’s happening
You can see in two different directions.Why the position of an animals eyes changer over time to suit its needs.
Our eyes are placed up front. This gives us binocular vision and depth perception. This was vital for an animal that once swung through the trees.
* Animals like horses and rabbits have eyes high and to the sides of their head. This lets them see nearly 360 degrees, as well as far about their head. They have a small blind spot directly in front of their face, but forward placed nostrils and big ears make up for that. Chameleons see in different directions at the same time. This way they can watch for danger out of one eye and search for food with the other.

FUN FACT
A television screen shows 24 pictures a second. because a fly sees 200 images a second, a fly watching TV sees it as still pictures with darkness in-between. For a fly’s eye view, try to flicker your eyelids very fast. An eagle can see a rabbit from about 1.6km (1 mile) away.