Effects of physical characteristics on behaviour Flashcards
What sight do predators have?
Forward looking eyes - better binocular vision.
More important in carnivores as it helps them locate there prey.
However they have a disadvantage as it creates a bigger blind spot.
What sight do prey animals have?
Eyes on the side - give the animal a much wider field of vision as they can see a large area without having to turn their head and they have smaller blind spots than animals with forward-facing eyes.
However they typically have a blind spot directly in front of them.
What vision do prey species need?
A wider field of vision is important in prey species to help them detect predators.
Carnivores can sacrifice this for better binocular vision.
Many prey species, such as rabbits and horses, have an almost 360 degree field of vision.
What size of eye is good for nocturnal animals?
Bigger eyes allow more light to enter which is useful for nocturnal animals.
They also need to have responsive pupils to protect the eye from bright light.
Colour vision in nocturnal species?
Colour vision is less developed in nocturnal species as there is less light to distinguish colours, meaning they do not rely on colour as a means of communicating or finding food.
They have much better night vision than diurnal animals.
What is tapetum?
Enhance night vision.
This is an additional reflective surface which helps them to see better in darkness or low light.
It is the reason that dogs and cats’eyes glow in the dark when you shine a light at them.
What is birds colour vision like?
They can see ultraviolet light.
Meaning they can see more colours than we can.
What is the dogs vision like?
They are nearsighted, they see things closer to them more clearly and things in the distance are blurry.
Eyes are on the front of there head meaning they have binocular vision.
Bad colour vision, they see everything in a spectrum of blues and yellows and cannot see red or green.
What is cat vision like?
Highly specialized eyesight which allows them to see very well in darkness and low light.
Vision is twice as efficient as a dog’s at night.
This is due to their large eyes and very mobile pupil which can expand to allow maximum light to enter the eye.
What is small mammals vision like?
Prey species and have eyes on the side of their head.
Poor binocular vision but a wide field of vision.
Have good night vision and poor colour vision.
What is cats hearing like?
Cats can detect an even wider range of frequencies than dog, which helps them to find and track small rodents.
Their mobile, cone-shaped ears help to amplify and localise sounds.
What is dogs hearing like?
Dogs can hear a much wider frequency. They can also hear sounds over a much greater distance.
What is small mammals hearing like?
Small mammals typically have upright, mobile ears.
They communicate at high frequencies and can detect high frequency sounds.
Hearing is the main sense used by most small mammals to detect predators.
What is a cats smell like?
They are less heavily reliant on scent than dogs are but do use scent for hunting and communicating.
What is a dogs smell like?
Dogs have an excellent sense of smell and rely heavily on scent for tracking, feeding, communication and recognition of others.
It is their primary sense.
What is small mammals scent like?
Very sensitive sense of smell.
