A jaguar’s eyes help it capture prey (and so do yours)

Today’s question: Recently in the paper there was a photo of a jaguar. It looks a bit strange with round pupils. Is the domestic cat the only one with vertical slit pupils? I never knew this before, probably because I never really looked, but goats, sheep, and toads have rectangular pupils. That’s because they are prey animals and need to be able to get a good look at what’s sneaking up around them and to watch the terrain while fleeing.

But we are here to discuss cats and not sheep, goats and toads. We are here to discuss cats.

It all depends on how the cat in question is going about making a living.

Cats that hunt by day and night and specialize in ambushing their prey, such as little Fluff waiting behind the couch to jump at your toes, have vertical eye slits.

This helps them adjust to light levels and with stereopsis — the way the eyes and brain work together to gauge distances.

Big cats, such as lions and tigers and jaguars that specialize in running down their prey and that are not built so close to the ground, have round pupils.

So do you, because you are built to run down prey in daylight and not just hide behind the couch waiting for it to come by.

There are various exceptions to this vertical-round thing. For example, Scottish folds, a domestic breed, have round eyes. Also, their ears fold forward. Don’t ask me why. I don’t know.

I’ve never even seen a Scottish fold. And I’ll probably never see a jaguar in the wild, but I like knowing they are there.