are housecats the only animal with vertical pupils?

Answer 1

Slit-shaped pupils are found in species which are active in a wide range of light levels.

The orientation of the slit may be related to the direction of motions the eye is required to notice most sensitively (so a vertical pupil would increase the sensitivity of the eyes of a small cat to the horizontal scurrying of mice). The narrower the pupil, the more accurate the depth perception of peripheral vision is, so narrowing it in one direction would increase depth perception in that plane.

Animals like goats and sheep may have evolved horizontal pupils because better vision in the vertical plane may be benficial in mountainous environments.

Ground dwelling snakes, such as boas, pythons and vipers, have vertical slit-shaped pupils to help them hunt prey on the ground while tree snakes have circular pupils. Small cats and foxes also have slit shaped pupils while lions and wolves have round pupils even though they are in the same family. Some hypothesize that this is because slit pupils are more beneficial for animals that hunt small prey than large prey.

Also crocodiles, some lizards, some frogs, and probably others. It just depends on the animal and the type of vision it needs.

Answer 2

No, there are many animals with vertical pupils, and as it has been said above, they are usually nocturnal animals.
The eye looks like a vertical slit in bright sunlight, but expands to become almost circular at night.

This pupil shape has been interpreted as an adaptation in animals whose eyes are highly sensitive to low levels of light.
During the nighttime, the dilated pupil captures all the available light, thus enhancing their vision; however, this represents a problem during the day, because the eye would be literally "burned" from the excess light (and animals don't have sunglasses!).
A thin vertical pupil combined with eyelids that close in a perpendicular direction, would effectively reduce the area of the pupil exposed to sunlight to a very small dot.


BTW, here's the link to the one above .. .I wonder what people think the "Source" box is for! ;-)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pupil

Answer 3

lots of animals have vertical pupils, including geckos and skimmers (the latter are the only birds that have them). Animals with vertical pupils are typically nocturnal. At night they open up and appear rounded, thus letting in more light to enable them to see in the dark.

Answer 4

the reason house cats, in fact all cats, have the ability to "slit" their eyes is mainly due to what is called a "tapetum" behind their retina. The tapetum gathers in then reflects light back out of the eyes in dark situations, allowing more ligth throught the eye and thus allowing them to see well in the dark. The reverse applies in bright sun light. If a cat could not slit its eyes in sunlight the amount of light entering would flood the eye and would cause it to go blind.

Answer 5

spadefoot toads have vertical pupils.

Answer 6

snakes, frogs, goats all have vertical pupils as well.

Answer 7

frogs and donkeys

Answer 8

Goats do too.....

Answer 9

goats..