Beverly Joubert Instagram – Locked in. Eons of evolution have sculpted cheetahs into refined, specialised hunters. While speed is their most famous attribute, these cats must locate their prey before they can sprint after it – and cheetahs have the eyes for the job. Elongated retinal fovea give these cats a tack sharp, wide-angle view of the surroundings, which is essential for predators that hunt and roam on vast, open savannahs. Forward-facing, high-set eyes give them spectacular binocular vision so they can hone in on their selected target with laser-like precision. Unlike other big cats that do most of their hunting at night, the cheetah’s diurnal stalking behaviour requires a better grasp of colour. An abundance of a specific type of cone photoreceptor in the cheetah’s eyes help them to better discriminate colours. And to keep the glaring sun from obstructng their vision, cheetahs have dark, distinctive malar stripes that run down the sides of their face to reflect light away from their eyes. These remarkable adaptations fuse together to form a formidable and uniquely adapted hunter.
#wildlife #cheetah | Posted on 22/Jan/2024 20:27:11