To understand how an animal sees the world, start with the shape of its pupils

AEON

VIDEO/Aeon/Youtube

If you’ve ever peered into the eyes of a cat or a goat, you’ll have noticed that pupils can come in quite a few shapes and sizes. And those are just two among a great many animals – including geckos, toads, stingrays and cuttlefish – that demonstrate the diversity of pupil shapes in nature. With stylish and clever animation, this video from TED-Ed takes a brief dive into animal vision, detailing the wide range of pupil types in the eyes of the animal kingdom, as well as the fascinating ways they can shape perception and indicate a creature’s place in their ecosystem.