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Why do cats have vertical pupils? - Emma Bryce

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TEDEd Animation

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Peering into the eyes of different animals, you’ll see some extraordinarily shaped pupils. House cats, for one, are twilight hunters with vertically elongated pupils. Many grazing animals, like goats, have rectangular pupils. Other animals have crescent- or heart-shaped pupils. So, what’s going on? Why are there so many different pupil shapes? Emma Bryce digs into the science of animal vision.

Think of the behavior of any animal (try to think of one not mentioned in the video), and then try and explain what eye shape you think it would need.

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Meet The Creators

  • Educator Emma Bryce
  • Director Bálint Gelley, CUB Animation Ltd.
  • Narrator Alexandra Panzer
  • Storyboard Artist Daniel Gray
  • Animator Iván Tamás
  • Compositor Iván Tamás
  • Art Director Barbara Bakos
  • Music József Iszlai
  • Sound Designer József Iszlai
  • Director of Production Gerta Xhelo
  • Editorial Director Alex Rosenthal
  • Producer Bethany Cutmore-Scott
  • Script Producer Cella Wright
  • Special Thanks Martin S. Banks

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