It would be easy to assume that the bigger an animal’s eyes, the better they must work. However, a new study, published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, has revealed that one of the largest animals on Earth actually has pretty poor eyesight.
Scientists from Duke University and the University of North Carolina (UNCW) have found that humpback whales can’t see nearly as well as previously believed. This discovery is providing new insights into the mechanics of humpback whale eyes and changing our understanding of how marine mammals perceive the world around them.
“This work helps fill a major gap in our understanding of the sensory ecology of large whales [and] how humpbacks experience their world,” said Lori Schweikert, assistant professor of biology and marine biology at UNCW, in a press release.
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What Can Humpback Whales See?
Researchers found that the significantly large eye size of humpback whales does not equal a more advanced ability to see. In fact, the vision of the whales was measured at much lower levels than had been previously speculated and expected.
Humpback whales are able to see and visually process large, simple shapes as long as they are perceived from a distance. This ability is helpful as they swim through the vast expanse of the ocean they call their home.
While the whales are able to see large objects well from a distance, they are effectively nearsighted. Any kind of detailed perception requires the whales to be much closer to the object in question.
This discovery is particularly important, as the inability of humpback whales to perceive details or smaller objects from far away leaves them vulnerable to human activity.
Helping Whales Avoid Harm
The specimen for this study came from the UNCW Marine Mammal Stranding program that collected the eye from a stranded whale in Thorofare Bay, North Carolina. The eye remained stored in an archive for a decade before an undergraduate student, Jacob Bolin, decided to investigate whale vision for his Honors thesis.
With measurements from the eye, researchers were able to create both anatomical and perceptual models to simulate humpback whale perception. Since visual perception is such an important part of these sensory-based mammals’ lives, understanding more about their vision is key to keeping them safe.
When it comes to fishing, this research can be used for companies to design more whale-friendly gear, making it easier for the whales to see and avoid nets and traps.
Overall, this research has brought up questions about how much we really know about cetaceans, how they experience their world, and how the things we are doing may affect them in unexpected ways. The team hopes that their work will prompt further investigation into the sensory biology of marine mammals and how these majestic animals have evolved and adapted over time.
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Article Sources
Our writers at Discovermagazine.com use peer-reviewed studies and high-quality sources for our articles, and our editors review for scientific accuracy and editorial standards. Review the sources used below for this article:
Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) visual acuity allows silhouette detection but not fine detail discrimination over ecological distances
As the marketing coordinator at Discover Magazine, Stephanie Edwards interacts with readers across Discover's social media channels and writes digital content. Offline, she is a contract lecturer in English & Cultural Studies at Lakehead University, teaching courses on everything from professional communication to Taylor Swift, and received her graduate degrees in the same department from McMaster University. You can find more of her science writing in Lab Manager and her short fiction in anthologies and literary magazine across the horror genre.
