AJP - Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology, Vol 237, Issue 5 301-R305, Copyright © 1979 by American Physiological Society
Static and kinetic properties of the dolphin pupil
W. W. Dawson, C. K. Adams, M. C. Barris and C. A. Litzkow
In dim illumination, adult human pupil area becomes asymptotic at about 51
mm2 whereas the dolphin pupil achieves an area of about 70 mm2 under
equivalent conditions. At moderate illumination levels (greater than 100
lx), the dolphin pupil becomes a horizontally oriented ellipse and develops
a pronounced central constriction with additional light. The relative
relationship between pupil area and illumination copmares closely with
published human data. Rates of pupil response to step increments in
illumination are very similar for the two species. Although the pupil has
been proposed as a mechanism for correction of the dolphins' high aerial
myopia, correlation of the laboratory findings on static and kinetic pupil
properties with visually controlled aerial behaviors disclosed no special
interdependence.
