90 Animals Ranked by Eyesight and How They Compare to Humans
Have you ever wondered how animals see the world? As animals have evolved more complex bodies and behaviors, their eyes have also evolved to suit their survival needs. The team at Lasik by OCLI Vision has researched the wondrous variety of animal eyes to create the ultimate guide to how animal eyesight compares to humans. To get all of these animals ranked by eyesight, we considered factors such as distance accuracy, color and light perception, field of vision, and vision speed based on flicker fusion frequency. Take a look:
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What Animal Has the Best Eyesight?
It’s not a simple task to declare which animal has the best vision, as there isn’t a single clear winner. Choosing the best eyesight in the animal kingdom is complicated because every creature has developed visual qualities (or a lack thereof) to suit their survival needs. Also, a lot of factors can be involved in ranking animals’ eyesight.
If you’re considering which animal can see the farthest with the most precision, though, eagles take the crown. The eagle eye is among the sharpest and most fearsome in the animal kingdom. Eagle eyesight is estimated to be around four to eight times stronger than that of the average human. Despite eagles weighing an average of 10 pounds, their eyes are roughly the same size as human eyes. Not only does eagle vision excel at long distances, but they also have extraordinary color resolution and clarity. Eagles are capable of identifying five uniquely colored squirrel species and can locate prey even if it’s hidden. An eagle is believed to be able to spot a rabbit more than 2 miles away. As the eagle plummets from the sky to strike its prey, the muscles around its eyes continuously modify the curvature of the eyeballs to sustain sharp focus and accuracy throughout the whole process, including the attack itself.
What Animal Has 360-Degree Vision?
Although many animals (especially prey animals) are equipped with panoramic vision, one of the only animals with a wider field of vision than goats and sheep is the chameleon. Chameleon eyes are capable of swiveling far enough to give them a full panoramic view of their surroundings. The chameleon field of vision is further enhanced by the ability to operate each eye independently.
What Animals Can Move Their Eyes Independently?
In addition to chameleons, mantis shrimp, seahorses, dolphins, dragonflies, and some bird species, such as grackles, can move their eyes individually.
What Animal Can See the Best Underwater?
It’s believed that sharks have the best underwater vision. It’s estimated that shark eyesight underwater is around ten times better than that of humans.
How Far Can a Shark See?
In ideal conditions, sharks can see around 30 to 50 feet ahead of them, even in the darkness of the sea. Some studies have shown that they could see objects 30 yards away in clear water! Shark eyes are equipped with a reflective layer called the tapetum, which allows them to see extremely well in dim light. To make sharks even more formidable, the position of their eyes gives them nearly 360-degree vision!
Mantis shrimp are another underwater vision marvel. Some articles even describe mantis shrimp as having the best vision in the animal kingdom.
How Is Mantis Shrimp Vision Unique?
Mantis shrimp eyes are loaded with 16 photoreceptors (which is four times more than humans have)! That means that they can see more types of light than we can.
What Can Mantis Shrimp See?
Mantis shrimp can perceive 12 channels of color, UV light, and polarized light. They are the only known animal to be able to detect circularly polarized light (often seen in bioluminescence and in reflections off of iridescent surfaces like bubbles, opals, and beetle shells). Some scientists believe that the shrimp may use circularly polarized light as a secret communication system.
What Animal Sees the Most Color?
Mantis shrimp are among the animals that see the most color, but there are other creatures that enjoy a dazzling kaleidoscope of pigments, too. Some species of dragonflies can see up to 30 different colors. They are also the animal that sees the fastest, perceiving the world at up to 300 frames per second! Honeybees also have great color vision and the fastest color vision in the animal kingdom. They can interpret colors five times faster than humans can. To bees, flower petals appear to sparkle and shift color, which signals an abundance of sugar to harvest.
How Do Dogs See?
It’s believed that dog vision is about 20/75, which means they must be 20 feet from an object to see it as well as a human standing 75 feet away would.
Do Dogs See Color?
Dog eyesight is limited when it comes to color vision. Dogs only have two types of cones (compared to humans’ three), so their spectrum is limited to shades of gray, brown, yellow, and blue.
Do Dogs See Us in Slow Motion?
Dogs take in visual information around 25 percent faster than humans do, which makes time appear to move more slowly for them. This may be because they evolved from wolves. As predators, wolves need to be able to detect the small movements of prey.
How Do Cats See?
Cat vision ranges from 20/100 to 20/200, so they are rather near-sighted. They also see in a similar color range that dogs see.
Can Cats See in the Dark?
Cat night vision is rather impressive — they are able to see six to eight times more in the dark than we can!
What Is Critical Flicker Fusion Frequency?
According to the National Library of Medicine, critical flicker fusion frequency is defined as “the frequency at which flickering light can be perceived as continuous, and it is used to assess the processing of temporal vision. The upper level of one’s abilities in visual processing is described as the critical flicker fusion threshold (or threshold for flicker fusion, TFF), which represents the maximum speed of flickering light that can be perceived by the visual system.” A high CFF threshold is crucial for animals that fly because they need to be able to detect rapidly approaching objects in order to avoid colliding with them.
90 Animals and How They Compare to Human Eyesight
How the rankings work:
Humans are 0/0/0 on this chart and act as a point of reference. A 100 means that the animal is the best in that field compared to any other animal of their class, except in the case of field of vision. Since many animals have 360 degrees of vision, they all get 100.
Distance
The distance measure ranks how far animals can see compared to humans. This includes the ability to see prey in the dark, spot movement, and recognize patterns and shapes from a distance. So a higher score may not necessarily mean they can see the farthest, just that their eyes are more versatile across distances than humans.
Color/Light Perception
The color/light perception measure ranks how well animals see in the dark and how many colors they can perceive compared to humans. The visible spectrum humans can see falls between ultraviolet light and red light. Humans typically have three types of photo pigments in their cones: red, green, and blue. This allows them to distinguish up to 10 million colors. Up to 12% of human females have four cone types, which enables them to perceive 100 times more colors. Many birds, insects, and fish have four cones, which enables them to see ultraviolet light. Ultraviolet light has shorter wavelengths than humans can perceive. Other animals, such as dogs, have fewer types and numbers of cones, which reduces how many colors they can perceive.
Field of Vision
The field of vision measure ranks how the peripheral vision of animals compares to humans. Peripheral vision is how well you can see above, below, and to the sides of where your gaze is fixed. Eyes on the sides of the head typically allow for a wider field of vision. Prey animals and herbivores tend to have eyes on the sides of their head, enabling them to notice predators sneaking up on them. Most predators have front-facing eyes, which gives them a larger binocular visual field (where both eyes can see clearly together), helping them pinpoint and lock on prey over distances. If an animal has a field of vision of 360 degrees, they get 100 points.
| Animal | Description (and Awards if Applicable) | Values Compared to Humans |
| Birds | ||
| Bald Eagle | Best Distance Vision Eagles have the best eyesight in the animal kingdom and can spot and focus on prey up to 2 miles away. Although eagles weigh only around 10 pounds, eagle eyes are roughly the same size as human eyes. | Distance: 100 Color/Light Perception: 90 Field of Vision: 90 |
| Hawk | Humans with healthy eyes have 20/20 vision, but hawks have 20/4 or 20/5 vision. They have a field of vision of about 278 degrees, compared to about 180 in humans. | Distance: 90 Color/Light Perception: 90 Field of Vision: 80 |
| Owl | Best Night Vision Eyes contain a combination of rods and cones. Rods interpret light, and cones interpret color. The more rods an eye has, the better it sees in the dark. Owls have a million rods per square millimeter in their eyes, a density five times more than humans have. They have an extraordinary ability to spot prey in the dark, the equivalent of a human spotting a mouse by the light of a match a mile away. | Distance: -50 Color/Light Perception: 100 Field of Vision: -40 |
| Woodcock | Best Bird Field of Vision Woodcocks can see 60° in the horizontal plane and 180° in the vertical plane. This helps them spot predators while their beaks are underground searching for worms. Woodcock eyes are set farther back than those of any other bird, and their ears are below rather than behind the eye socket. Evolution pushed their large eyes farther and farther back, causing the ears to shift below by simple necessity. | Distance: -50 Color/Light Perception: 80 Field of Vision: 100 |
| Peregrine Falcon | These falcons have binocular vision eight times superior to that of humans. They can spot small prey more than a mile away. They are able to maintain sharp vision even while diving at 180 miles per hour. A third eyelid protects their eyes during these intense plunges. | Distance: 95 Color/Light Perception: 90 Field of Vision: 80 |
| Pigeon | Pigeons have excellent eyesight — in fact, they have been called “eyes with wings.” They have been used in search-and-rescue missions. | Distance: 80 Color/Light Perception: 90 Field of Vision: 85 |
| Goose | Waterfowl can see objects in fine detail up to three and a half times farther than humans can. They can also see in near-total darkness, with night vision 12 times better than humans have. | Distance: 80 Color/Light Perception: 90 Field of Vision: 90 |
| European Robin | Ability to See Magnetic Fields In addition to rods and cones, robins have special cells in the retina that enable them to see magnetic fields, which is crucial for night orientation. They also have a specialized brain region that compiles visual data about the magnetic field, further enhancing night navigation. Only night migratory birds have this brain region (called cluster N). | Distance: 80 Color/Light Perception: 95 Field of Vision: 80 |
| Hummingbird | Hummingbirds can see colors beyond our comprehension, including ultraviolet. They can also see farther than humans and have a nearly panoramic field of vision. | Distance: 50 Color/Light Perception: 95 Field of Vision: 90 |
| Vulture | Vultures have keen eyesight — it is believed that they can spot a 3-foot carcass from more than 4 miles away. | Distance: 95 Color/Light Perception: 90 Field of Vision: -50 |
| Mammals | ||
| Dog | Dogs, like most other mammals, have only two types of cones. This enables them to distinguish blue from yellow but not red from green. It is believed that they have roughly 20/50 vision. At night, this reduces to 20/250. However, they are much better at detecting motion. | Distance: -50 Color/Light Perception: -50 Field of Vision: -30 |
| Goat | Goats have horizontal rectangular pupils, which gives them a field of vision from 320 to 340 degrees. This enables them to spot predators while they are foraging. They also have excellent depth perception to help them jump and climb over difficult terrain. Slit pupils give them an advantage in low-light situations as well. | Distance: -30 Color/Light Perception: 70 Field of Vision: 90 |
| Cat | A cat’s eyesight ranges from 20/100 to 20/200, so they cannot see nearly as far as humans, but they can see in the dark six to eight times better. | Distance: -75 Color/Light Perception: 25 Field of Vision: 20 |
| Naked Mole-Rat | The naked mole-rat is mostly blind, but its eyes still serve a purpose — detecting magnetic fields. | Distance: -100 Color/Light Perception: -95 Field of Vision: -100 |
| Horse | Horses have a nearly 360-degree field of vision with only two blind spots (directly behind the tail and in front of their head). They are believed to have 20/30 to 20/60 vision. They have almost twice the rods that humans do, giving them superior low-light vision. However, they are not adept at transitioning between high and low light, which often makes them reluctant to enter dark places. | Distance: -25 Color/Light Perception: 40 Field of Vision: 95 |
| Sheep | Sheep have a field of vision between 320 and 340 degrees, can see 20 feet away, have good night vision, and cannot see the color red. | Distance: -80 Color/Light Perception: -20 Field of Vision: 85 |
| Tiger | Tigers’ forward-facing eyes aid in accurately accessing distance and depth of prey in complex environments. Their night vision is around eight times greater than humans’ is. They have a thick line of nerves running horizontally across their eyes, which improves their peripheral vision. | Distance: -20 Color/Light Perception: 70 Field of Vision: 10 |
| Cow | Cows can see everything around them except directly behind them and have poor depth perception. However, they can see in dimmer light than humans can. | Distance: -80 Color/Light Perception: 20 Field of Vision: 80 |
| Pig | Pigs have poor eyesight, which they make up for with their sense of smell, which may be superior to that of dogs — they have 1,113 olfactory receptor genes versus 811 in dogs. | Distance: -80 Color/Light Perception: -80 Field of Vision: 50 |
| Squirrel | Squirrels’ peripheral vision is just as good as their focal eyesight. They can detect small movements across long distances. Their night vision is quite poor. | Distance: 10 Color/Light Perception: -80 Field of Vision: 70 |
| Giraffe | Giraffes are among of the few mammals to be able to perceive color. They also have a 360-degree field of vision and can see far into the distance. | Distance: 70 Color/Light Perception: 40 Field of Vision: 100 |
| Rhino | Rhino eyes are small for their size, contributing to their poor vision. They are unable to see a motionless person just 15 feet away. They also lack color vision. | Distance: -95 Color/Light Perception: -90 Field of Vision: 50 |
| Bat | Bat eyes are loaded with rods, enhancing their night vision. However, they have poor clarity and are unable to see color. | Distance: -95 Color/Light Perception: 60 Field of Vision: 0 |
| Zebra | Zebras have keen eyesight and are able to spot movement over great distances. Their large eyes are oriented to give them a wide field of vision to spot danger. | Distance: 80 Color/Light Perception: 30 Field of Vision: 90 |
| Tarsier | Tarsiers have the largest eyes of any mammal relative to their body size, with each eye having about the same volume as their brain. The high-density photoreceptor cells and sharp visual acuity of their eyes help them catch insects in the dark. Their eyes cannot move in their sockets, but they are able to turn their heads 360 degrees. | Distance: -20 Color/Light Perception: 95 Field of Vision: 0 |
| Reindeer | Arctic reindeer eyes change from gold in the summer to blue in the winter, which helps them navigate the shifting light levels of their extreme habitat. They can also see UV light, which is helpful for spotting wolves and lichen (which appear dark because they absorb UV light). | Distance: -20 Color/Light Perception: 90 Field of Vision: 80 |
| Camel | Camels have adapted to have three eyelids and long eyelashes to protect their eyes from sand and heat. | Distance: 60 Color/Light Perception: 40 Field of Vision: 80 |
| Wolf | Wolves are nocturnal hunters, so they have excellent night vision and can detect movement in low-light conditions far better than humans can. Their eyes lack a foveal pit, which reduces their focusing abilities across distances. | Distance: -40 Color/Light Perception: 20 Field of Vision: -10 |
| Otter | A specialized lens and cornea in an otter’s eyes correct for the refraction of light that occurs when transitioning from aerial to aquatic vision. In bright light, their vision is equally good above and below water; in dim light, their underwater resolution is superior. | Distance: -70 Color/Light Perception: 40 Field of Vision: -20 |
| Amphibians/Reptiles | ||
| Chameleon | Best Reptile Field of Vision Chameleons have unique visual features such as a negative lens (concave shape), a positive cornea (convex shape), and monocular focusing (individual focus of each eye). These attributes give them laser-sharp focus. Their eyes also stick out from their head, giving them panoramic vision. | Distance: -80 Color/Light Perception: 40 Field of Vision: 100 |
| Leopard Gecko | Geckos are believed to be 350 times more sensitive to light and color than humans, making their night vision extraordinary. They also have 360-degree vision but a short focal length, making them susceptible to far-striking predators. | Distance: -90 Color/Light Perception: 100 Field of Vision: 100 |
| Crocodile | While crocodiles’ vision is six to seven times less sharp than human vision, they have mirrored receptors and built-in goggles that help them see in dark waters. | Distance: -80 Color/Light Perception: 70 Field of Vision: 50 |
| Snake | Snakes have notoriously poor eyesight, which is why they rely on flicking their tongue in the air to get a sense of their surroundings. Their tongues “smell” the environment and pinpoint prey. | Distance: -80 Color/Light Perception: -30 Field of Vision: -20 |
| Fish/Sea Creatures | ||
| Shark | Best Underwater Vision Sharks are estimated to see ten times better underwater than humans can. In the right conditions, they can see 30 to 50 feet ahead of them. They also have exceptional night vision. The backs of their eyes have a reflective layer called a tapetum, which allows them to see extremely well with little light. | Distance: 50 Color/Light Perception: 95 Field of Vision: 95 |
| Mantis Shrimp | Most Complex Vision Mantis shrimp have 16 photoreceptors and can see UV, visible, and polarized light. In fact, they are the only animals known to be able to detect circularly polarized light (when the wave component of light rotates in a circular motion, like we often see in bioluminescence and light reflected off of iridescent materials like soap bubbles, beetle shells, and opals). Some research suggests that they use circularly polarized light as a secret communication system for courtship. Each eye moves independently, making their field of vision top-notch as well. | Distance: -50 Color/Light Perception: 100 Field of Vision: 100 |
| Seahorse | Seahorses are known for their sharp eyesight. They are able to move their eyes independently, so they can look in front of and behind them at the same time. This is useful for hunting food. | Distance: 20 Color/Light Perception: 50 Field of Vision: 100 |
| Octopus | Octopus do not have a blind spot (like vertebrates do) because their optic nerves do not pass through the eye’s light receptors but instead pass behind them. This enables octopuses to see all around them. They can also perceive light through their skin, enabling them to navigate in the dark. | Distance: -70 Color/Light Perception: 90 Field of Vision: 100 |
| Giant Squid | Giant squid have the largest eyes in the animal kingdom. This allows them to absorb more light to see bioluminescent prey. They do not have cones, so their world is likely black and white. | Distance: 20 Color/Light Perception: 50 Field of Vision: 30 |
| Blue Whale | Broadly speaking, a whale’s vision is about ten times worse than that of a human and several times worse than that of a dog or cat. Their world is monochromatic and blurry, but their hearing is superb! | Distance: -90 Color/Light Perception: -80 Field of Vision: 50 |
| Dolphin | Dolphins have limited color vision and poorer visual acuity than humans, but studies have shown that their visual perception may be comparable to that of primates like chimpanzees. They can see about 150 feet away, so they rely on echolocation to increase their range of “sight.” | Distance: -70 Color/Light Perception: -60 Field of Vision: 50 |
| Giant Ostracod | Best Underwater Night Vision Giant ostracods have two massive, mirrored eyes that they use to hunt bioluminescent prey in the darkness of the deep ocean. | Distance: -80 Color/Light Perception: 100 Field of Vision: 90 |
| California Purple Sea Urchin | These creatures have been described as “one big eye” because the surface of their bodies is packed with photoreceptors. This extreme light sensitivity enables them to see in every direction, even though they don’t have eyes. | Distance: -50 Color/Light Perception: 95 Field of Vision: 100 |
| Goldfish | Goldfish see clearly within a range of 15 feet and see combinations of red, green, blue, and ultraviolet light. Since they do not have eyelids, they need 8 to 12 hours of total darkness to rest. | Distance: -90 Color/Light Perception: 30 Field of Vision: -30 |
| Insects/Invertebrates | ||
| Australian Swallowtail | These butterflies have 15 different types of photoreceptors, while most butterflies have four. They have extraordinary color vision to help them find flowers, which look even more incredible to them than they do to humans! The receptors also help them detect very specific types of color stimuli, such as objects hidden in vegetation or fast-moving objects. | Distance: -80 Color/Light Perception: 100 Field of Vision: 90 |
| Dragonfly | Best Color Vision/Most Lenses While humans are able to see combinations of three colors (red, blue, and green), dragonflies can see up to 30 different pigments! They also see faster than we do, from 200 to 300 images per second (compared to our 60). Nearly 80% of a dragonfly’s brain is dedicated to sight. They can also see in all directions at the same time. Some species of dragonfly have more than 28,000 lenses per eye, more than any other creature. | Distance: -50 Color/Light Perception: 100 Field of Vision: 100 |
| Horsefly | Horseflies are able to see heat — they use thermal imaging to locate hosts for feeding. They can also track large moving objects, especially dark-colored ones, even in the midst of fast flight. | Distance: 10 Color/Light Perception: 80 Field of Vision: 80 |
| Honeybee | Fastest Color Vision Bees can distinguish colors five times faster than humans can. Flower petals also appear to sparkle and change color to them, drawing them in. This is because they can see into the UV spectrum. | Distance: -95 Color/Light Perception: 90 Field of Vision: 65 |
| Ant | The smaller the ant, the blurrier the vision. That is because smaller ants have fewer ommatidia, the units that make up insects’ compound eyes. | Distance: -95 Color/Light Perception: 30 Field of Vision: -80 |
| Ogre Spider | Ogre spiders have two massive, hypersensitive eyes and six smaller ones. This gives them outstanding night vision, about 2,000 times greater than humans have. | Distance: -70 Color/Light Perception: 100 Field of Vision: 100 |
| Dung Beetle | Dung beetles’ eyes are so sensitive to light that they are believed to be able to see the Milky Way as a hazy stripe streaking across the night sky. They use the galaxy as a compass reference, helping them roll dung balls in straight lines in the dark. | Distance: -90 Color/Light Perception: 95 Field of Vision: 0 |
Animals Ranked by Critical Flicker Fusion Rate (Threshold at Which a Blinking Light Switches From Being Perceived as Flickering vs. Continuous)
Generally speaking, a higher critical flicker fusion rate indicates that the animal is better at detecting motion. A high CFF threshold is also important for flying animals to be able to detect rapidly approaching objects to avoid collisions. Most films are displayed in 24 frames per second, which is the minimum that appears to flow realistically for humans.
| Animal | Upper CFF Threshold |
| Dragonfly | 300 |
| Honeybee | 200 |
| Pied Flycatcher | 146 |
| Collared Flycatcher | 141 |
| Pigeon | 143 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 129 |
| Golden-Mantled Ground Squirrel | 120 |
| Starling | 100 |
| Rock Dove | 100 |
| Yellow-Pine Chipmunk | 100 |
| Cat | 100 |
| Chicken | 90 |
| Rhesus Monkey | 95 |
| Sheep | 80 |
| Dog | 80 |
| Green Iguana | 80 |
| Yellowfin Tuna | 80 |
| Fruit Fly | 80 |
| Emperor Moth | 75 |
| Common Octopus | 72 |
| Atlantic Salmon | 72 |
| Tree Shrew | 70 |
| Goldfish | 67 |
| Human | 60 |
| Anole | 70 |
| Guppy | 67 |
| Siamese Fighting Fish | 60 |
| American Red Squirrel | 60 |
| Euphausiid Shrimp | 57 |
| Hermit Crab | 53 |
| American Crayfish | 53 |
| Guinea Pig | 50 |
| Tuatara | 45.6 |
| Great Horned Owl | 45 |
| American Cockroach | 42.5 |
| Euphausiid Krill | 40 |
| Green Sea Turtle | 40 |
| Loggerhead Sea Turtle | 40 |
| Jumping Spider | 40 |
| Brown Rat | 39 |
| Japanese Rice Fish | 37.5 |
| Lemon Shark | 37 |
| Harp Seal | 32.7 |
| Oplophorus Shrimp | 32 |
| Tiger Salamander | 30 |
| Sprague Dawley Rat | 30 |
| Rainbow Trout | 27 |
| Sergestid Shrimp | 25 |
| Swordfish | 22 |
| Green Frog | 21 |
| Tokay Gecko | 20 |
| Common Eel | 14 |
| Wolf Spider | 10 |
| Cane Toad | 6.7 |
Sources:
National Audubon Society (www.audubon.org)
Natural History Museum (www.nhm.ac.uk)
National Library of Medicine (www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
Jason Schukraft on RethinkPriorities.org
National Geographic (www.nationalgeographic.com)