How pupil shape can help animals survive

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. You can change your cookie settings at any time. Otherwise, we'll assume you're OK to continue. How pupil shape can help animals survive A research collaboration involving Durham University has found that pupil shape can be directly linked to an animal's place on the food chain, as either the hunter or the prey. Professor Gordon Love from Durham University's Department of Physics worked in collaboration with Professor Martin Banks from University of California, Berkeley to try and explain why animals have evolved with different shaped pupils. They have found that animals with vertical elongated pupils, like foxes and domestic cats, are much more likely to be ambush predators, whilst animals with horizontal elongated pupils, like sheep, goats and deer, are more likely to be plant-eating prey. Professor Love explained: "Our research is the first to offer a quantitative explanation as to why some animals have vertically elongated pupils and others horizontal.