All Eyes on Giraffes

Giraffes are amazing for many reasons, not the least of which is their extraordinary eyes.

A giraffe is able to see, with detail and clarity, as far as six miles in the distance.

Giraffes have panoramic vision. Unlike humans who can only focus on one item at a time, a giraffe can look at two things simultaneously, yet their vision is binocular, allowing them to see depth with a nearly 360 degree view! (Talk about eyes in the back of your head!)

Giraffes have the second largest pupils of all land mammals (only a horse’s is larger.) A unique arrangement of light-sensing cells allows giraffes to simultaneously look at their feet and a few meters ahead while walking. Their retinas provide a high concentration of cone cells, which are responsible for color vision. (Yes, giraffes see color.)

One of their particular eye adaptations, is rapid adjustment of focus. They can quickly focus on something two miles away, then at something in front of them effortlessly. (If you are over 40 you probably know how hard it is to focus on the food label after reading the signage in the supermarket.)

The most extraordinary part of the eye research on giraffes proves that they have a better than average development of their visual cortex, the area of the brain responsible for processing visual information. Compared to other mammals, a giraffe has a highly sophisticated interpretation of images. Giraffes don’t just see, they understand what they are seeing in a way most other mammal don’t. The next time you make a face at a giraffe, think about it. He might just know what you mean.