Primate Eye
Human’s Unique Eyes
In the article Unique Morphology of the Human Eye and Its Adaptive Meaning: Comparative Studies on External Morphology of the Primate Eye written by Hiromi Kobayashi and Shiro Kohshima, there is an extensive look at how the exterior anatomy of primate and human eyes differ, and why this would be significantly adaptive as a trait. The authors focused on the distinctive coloration in the human eye along with its visible unpigmented sclera. They also concentrated their study to analyzing the correlation between eye morphology and the individual’s body size and habitat. The two authors formulated hypotheses relating to these two ideas.
Kobayashi and Kohshima hypothesized that out of all the species of primates only human eye …show more content…
The authors used these subjects to analyze the relationships among iris coloring, sclera pigmentation, and facial coloration around the eye. The primates, in particular, were videotaped and utilizing computer-assisted image analyzing techniques the pair were able to collect data on and compare several facets of the external structures of the primates’ eyes. These included the way the gaze direction varied in different species, and how the gaze direction correlated with the numerous body sizes and habitat types attributed to those specific primate species. They also looked at the ratio of horizontal scanning to the frequency of vertical scanning as well as duration of the scans, which were performed by 40 individuals. The data collected for and from these studies was quite …show more content…
This adaption extended our ability to see along the horizontal plain more easily. The results of this study help to indicate that as humans evolved to their new habitats there was a need for a wider, rather than higher, range of vision. Perhaps this is due to the new predators that early humans faced, like lions and other ambush predators that hide along the horizon. The data also shows that humans are singularly unique in the fact that we have unpigmented sclera that contrasts drastically with the coloration of the iris. Humans also have a larger ratio of sclera to iris than nearly all other primates. This may suggest that communicating using gaze direction was important to the survival of humans as the contrast of iris coloration to white sclera allows for a clear indication of gaze direction. The selective pressure placed on early humans to develop a better gaze signal may have been the need to communicate danger. Regardless of speculative reasons for these human traits, the fact still remains that humans have unique eye anatomy when compared to the other living members of the primate family, as shown in the article by Kobayashi and
In the article Unique Morphology of the Human Eye and Its Adaptive Meaning: Comparative Studies on External Morphology of the Primate Eye written by Hiromi Kobayashi and Shiro Kohshima, there is an extensive look at how the exterior anatomy of primate and human eyes differ, and why this would be significantly adaptive as a trait. The authors focused on the distinctive coloration in the human eye along with its visible unpigmented sclera. They also concentrated their study to analyzing the correlation between eye morphology and the individual’s body size and habitat. The two authors formulated hypotheses relating to these two ideas.
Kobayashi and Kohshima hypothesized that out of all the species of primates only human eye …show more content…
The authors used these subjects to analyze the relationships among iris coloring, sclera pigmentation, and facial coloration around the eye. The primates, in particular, were videotaped and utilizing computer-assisted image analyzing techniques the pair were able to collect data on and compare several facets of the external structures of the primates’ eyes. These included the way the gaze direction varied in different species, and how the gaze direction correlated with the numerous body sizes and habitat types attributed to those specific primate species. They also looked at the ratio of horizontal scanning to the frequency of vertical scanning as well as duration of the scans, which were performed by 40 individuals. The data collected for and from these studies was quite …show more content…
This adaption extended our ability to see along the horizontal plain more easily. The results of this study help to indicate that as humans evolved to their new habitats there was a need for a wider, rather than higher, range of vision. Perhaps this is due to the new predators that early humans faced, like lions and other ambush predators that hide along the horizon. The data also shows that humans are singularly unique in the fact that we have unpigmented sclera that contrasts drastically with the coloration of the iris. Humans also have a larger ratio of sclera to iris than nearly all other primates. This may suggest that communicating using gaze direction was important to the survival of humans as the contrast of iris coloration to white sclera allows for a clear indication of gaze direction. The selective pressure placed on early humans to develop a better gaze signal may have been the need to communicate danger. Regardless of speculative reasons for these human traits, the fact still remains that humans have unique eye anatomy when compared to the other living members of the primate family, as shown in the article by Kobayashi and