Visual Ecology: The Unexpected Abilities of Animal Eyes

Presentation by Dr. Tom Cronin as part of the UMBC Friends of the Library & Gallery "BookNotes" series.  Humans are visual creatures. We're also introspective and curious, a combination that makes us all by nature amateur visual ecologists (even if we don't know it, or even what it means!) Since vision dominates how we experience our world, we naturally wonder how other animals see their own worlds. When a cat is entranced by images of fish on a television screen, does it see colors? Does it think they are real fish? What is it experiencing? When a wasp flies up and stares us in the face, just what is it seeing? These questions have probably been asked for as long as our species have been around. Visual ecology is the field that studies how vision operates to meet the needs of various kinds of animals. It examines how vision has evolved and how it is special in each species, and it asks questions that are some of the oldest in biology, often predating even the earliest science: "How do owls see at night, when humans are essentially blind?" "Does my dog (or horse, or cat) see color?" "Can a dolphin see when it sticks its head out of the water?" Many others readers have probably asked themselves about vision in other animals. Professor Cronin's studies of vision have included animals ranging from the tiny plankton, through many marine creatures, to whooping cranes and even whales. In his talk, he will focus mainly on his favorite animals of all, the fearsome "mantis shrimps," known for their abilities to break aquarium walls and impale human flesh. Their eyes are some of the strangest in nature, seeing things that humans can only duplicate with high-tech imagery. Cronin is frequently invited to speak about his work to the general public. His talk is intended for a general audience, so non-biologists and non-scientists should feel welcome to come. A reception, sponsored by the Libby Kuhn Endowment Fund, will follow the program. Co-Sponsored by the Friends of the Library & Gallery and the College of Natural and Mathematical Sciences