Top 16 Most Unique Animals with Extraordinary Eyes in the World

The mantis shrimp boasts the best visual system in the animal kingdom. While humans have three color receptors, this crustacean species has 12 different color receptors. Mantis shrimps can see colors that we cannot perceive. Their stunning eyes also operate independently, rotating in different directions simultaneously. Their eye rotation capability reaches up to 70 degrees, providing a wider field of vision. Additionally, mantis shrimps can perceive infrared, UV, and polarized light.

The body of a mantis shrimp is only covered by an outer shell from behind the head to the first four segments of the body. The body length can reach up to 40cm, weighing 250g. Mantis shrimps are dubbed by American fishermen as the 'thumb splitter' because if mishandled, they can pinch and tear off a thumb. Due to their iridescent rainbow appearance from fluorescent materials, they are often kept as pets. However, this shrimp species is not as harmless as its beautiful exterior.

A single strike of a mantis shrimp's raptorial appendage generates two impacts on the prey simultaneously: one from the appendage and one from the pressure created by the rupture of air bubbles, which lie in the space between the appendage and the striking surface. This means that even if the mantis shrimp misses its strike, the pressure from the bursting bubbles is sufficient to stun or even kill the prey.

This implies that each 'punch' released is a double punch against the opponent (by the appendage directly and the pressure of the bursting bubbles afterward), rendering the prey stunned (due to the bursting bubbles) even if the mantis shrimp misses the strike. Therefore, opponents equipped with hard armor like snails, crabs, clams, mussels, etc., cannot withstand mantis shrimps.

There have been documented cases of mantis shrimps shattering aquariums. The University of Berkeley website warns that due to their iridescence, mantis shrimps are often kept as pets, but caution should be exercised. Aquariums should be made of tempered glass or thick glass, as thin-walled aquariums are prone to accidents.

The kingfisher's forward-facing eyes are fascinating. This eye position provides significant advantages for the kingfisher, offering excellent vision and depth perception. An animal or bird with eyes on both sides of its head often achieves such outstanding vision.

Surprisingly, instead of having eyeballs, the kingfisher's eyes are tubular in shape. Additionally, their eyes cannot move like ours, but they can rotate their heads up to 270 degrees in both left and right directions, providing a much wider field of view. To adapt to a nocturnal lifestyle, kingfishers also have excellent night vision with millions of sensitive rod cells.

The Order Coraciiformes, commonly known as kingfishers, comprises over 200 species. Kingfishers are solitary hunters that primarily hunt at night. They prey on small animals, insects, small birds, and some species even catch fish. Kingfishers inhabit nearly every corner of the world except Antarctica, Greenland, and a few islands.

The surviving species within the Coraciiformes Order are divided into two families:

• The family Strigidae includes owl species like barn owls, screech owls, horned owls, etc., totaling around 190 species in 24 genera.
• The family Tytonidae includes approximately 20 species in 2 genera.

In many cultures, kingfishers symbolize wisdom due to their nocturnal habits, akin to dedicated scholars. They are often associated with wise figures wearing glasses. In Asian culture, kingfishers or owl species are symbols of bad luck, misfortune, or even death.

Chameleons are well-known for their color-changing ability. Their visual system is also superb. These reptiles can move their eyes independently, focusing on two different objects in two different directions simultaneously. This ability provides them with excellent 360-degree vision. Chameleons can also focus on objects at an astonishing speed.

They have the ability to change skin color including pink, blue, red, orange, turquoise, yellow, and green. Color is a language used for territorial defense, expressing emotions, and communicating with potential mates. It also serves as a means to regulate body temperature. The way chameleons change color is fascinating: Pigment-containing cells beneath the skin can 'open' or 'close' to reveal colors. For example, when angry, chameleons open cells containing brown pigment - melanin, turning it into a deep color. When relaxed, cells containing yellow or green pigment combine, giving the skin a gentle green hue. When sexually aroused, chameleons produce a plethora of colors and patterns. At night, many chameleons turn white.

They have unique adaptations for climbing and visual hunting, with about 160 chameleon species ranging from Africa, Madagascar, Southern Europe, across Southern Asia, Sri Lanka; introduced to Hawaii, California, Florida, and found in various warm habitats from rainforests to deserts.

Have you ever noticed the rectangular pupils of goats? It's certainly intriguing. It provides them with superior vision, giving them an edge as herbivores. Because they are vulnerable to predator attacks while grazing. The rectangular pupils enable them to have detailed panoramic vision, helping them detect danger from afar. Additionally, they can rotate their eyes to detect unusual movements on the pasture even while grazing. This gives them enough time to escape from predators.

Goats have a fine coat of fur covering their bodies. The fur can be of a single color or multiple colors, usually black, gray, white, brown, etc. The length of goat hair varies depending on the species and the different geographical locations they inhabit. For example, goats living in hot regions have short and sparse fur, while those living in cold regions have longer and thicker fur (such as in hilly or higher-than-sea-level areas). Both male and female goats can have horns or be hornless. Goat horns come in various shapes (curved backward, straight, spiral-shaped...). Both male and female goats have beards depending on the species.

Goats belong to the ruminant category like buffalo, cows, sheep, etc. The digestive system of goats is structured to digest various types of food (such as tree bark, shrubs...). Despite having a small mouth, goats have very soft lips that can chew many types of food (such as grass, twigs, leaves, thorns, tree bark...). The goat's tongue has various meaty prickles as different nerve endings, these prickles not only distinguish flavors but also estimate the hardness, softness of the food.

The upper jaw lacks incisor teeth but instead has a large bone mass, which can be considered as a large incisor opposite to the 8 incisor teeth in the lower jaw. Goats use the incisor teeth in the lower jaw to chop up long and hard food (such as branches, shrubs...) by grinding against the bone mass in the upper jaw, then using the 12 pairs of jaw teeth to grind further. When eating, goats use their tongue to scoop up food. Goats don't chew thoroughly but only chew briefly before swallowing quickly.

One of the most remarkable features of dragonflies is their beautifully intricate spherical eyes. Each eye contains 30,000 facets arranged in different directions. As a result, they have a vision of up to 360 degrees, allowing them to detect even the smallest movements in the surrounding environment. Dragonflies can also see ultraviolet rays and polarized light beyond our visual spectrum. This plays a significant role in their navigation.

Dragonflies have round heads, quite large compared to their bodies, mostly covered by two large compound eyes on each side, allowing them to easily capture prey while flying. Both pairs of wings are similar, long, thin, and nearly transparent, moving independently of each other. The wing veins are very thick, with many cross veins densely packed, complex, and the leading edge of the wing usually has wing eyes that are part of the mechanical vibration damping system, ensuring the wings are sturdy. The abdominal part is long. The mouthparts are of the grinding type, with slender legs pointing forward. They have small antennae, with two segments and a long, segmented hair. The posterior accessory genitalia are in the third and fourth abdominal segments (in males), the second (in females); the reproductive organs are in the ninth abdominal segment; the secondary mating organ is in the second segment (in males).

Dragonfly eggs are laid on the water surface or on branches, aquatic leaves near ponds, lakes, and wet areas, or in tree cavities in water, and hatch into nymphs living on nutrients contained in the eggs. They then continue to molt into nymphs with about 9-14 molts (in most species), and become voracious meat-eating creatures for aquatic organisms, including young fish. They respire through gills. The nymphs continue to transform and molt, usually at dusk, and continue to develop into flying species, although the color has not yet formed. These insects then transform into mature adults capable of reproduction. Males have an organ near the rear of the chest, inside containing a sperm pouch; they mate by using hooks located at the tail of the male abdomen to hold the female behind the head; the female bends the abdomen forward to receive the mating organ of the male and receive sperm. If they haven't found a suitable place yet, they will use another method to lay eggs and mate.

The hammerhead shark boasts one of the most peculiar yet fascinating heads in the animal kingdom, resembling a flat hammer with widely spaced eyes. However, research has shown that this peculiar head shape serves a specific purpose, providing them with better vision compared to other shark species. Specifically, such widely spaced eyes provide them with excellent vision and depth perception.

The position of the hammerhead shark's eyes allows them to possess better vision than the majority of other shark species. Along with specialized sensory organs distributed widely across their large heads, they can scan deep into the ocean and locate prey more easily. Hammerhead sharks possess a group of sensory organs known as 'Ampullae of Lorenzini,' allowing them to detect electrical impulses or movements of prey. The high sensitivity of the Ampullae in hammerhead sharks makes it easier for them to find favorite meals like rays, even if these elusive prey have hidden very well under the sand.

Giant hammerhead sharks are the largest species among the nine identified hammerhead shark species to date. They can grow up to over 20 feet (6 meters) in length and weigh over 1,000 pounds (450 kilograms), but smaller-sized species are more commonly found in coastal regions.

Primarily found in temperate and tropical seas worldwide, both nearshore and offshore, hammerhead sharks are often seen in crowded migrations during the summer to seek cooler waters. They typically have a gray-brown or olive-green color on their upper body and a white underside along with sturdy jaws with extremely sharp serrated teeth. Notably, the distinctively pointed dorsal fin makes them easily recognizable compared to many other shark species.

Cuttlefish is a fascinating marine creature capable of almost instant color change. This helps cuttlefish quickly blend into the surroundings, avoiding predators. This superior ability of cuttlefish is aided by specialized skin cells and their incredible vision. They have a peculiar-shaped eye, providing them with a wider field of vision, even able to see what's behind them. Additionally, they can detect polarized light with remarkable accuracy, even detecting the slightest changes in the angle of polarized light. This helps observe what's happening around them.

Cuttlefish come in a wide range of sizes, from gigantic 14m specimens to tiny cuttlefish only 2.5cm long. These creatures belong to the group of mollusks. There are about 500 species of cuttlefish worldwide, scattered across all oceans, serving as excellent food sources for fish such as whales, dolphins, sharks, seabirds, and other cuttlefish. Cuttlefish are often found at estuaries, deep seas, and offshore waters. In vast water areas with no shelter, making them vulnerable to attacks, their primary defense mechanism is their large and bright eyes. The giant cuttlefish, with eyes as big as dinner plates, has the largest eyes in the animal kingdom.

However, in murky waters or at night, cuttlefish rely on a second sensor, made up of thousands of tiny filament cells running along the body attached to nerve neurons. When swimming, the creatures create ripples, and the filament cells sense and transmit information to the brain. Thanks to this, cuttlefish can sense predators even in dark water currents. Anticipating danger, cuttlefish can evade threats.

The most impressive adaptive characteristic of cuttlefish is their cunning ability to deceive enemies. Cuttlefish skin contains thousands of small organs called chromatophores, which contain pigments in black, brown, red, and yellow. Chromatophore pigments reflect cells underneath, helping cuttlefish change color according to the environment and hide. When the muscles contract, the color of the cells expands, conversely, when the muscles relax, the color is concealed. Each chromatophore is individually controlled by the nervous system, so while some expand, the rest maintain their original state. This phenomenon is called contrasting color camouflage, making the underside of cuttlefish appear lighter than the upper body, eliminating shadows, making it unrecognizable from below.

Frog's large eyes are remarkable in many aspects. Firstly, these amphibians spend quite a long time in water. To swim in water full of debris, frogs have three eyelids, two transparent and one partially transparent. This partially transparent eyelid is called a nictitating membrane. It can close completely to protect the eyes underwater. The position of frog's eyes on the top sides of the head also gives them better vision, covering up to 360 degrees. They can even see what's happening outside while submerged underwater.

They move with four webbed feet (on land). Additionally, frogs can leap to travel in the required direction. When moving underwater, they use their two hind feet with stretched webbing between the toes, resembling duck's feet, to swim. While swimming, they protrude their eyes and nostrils above the water surface to breathe oxygen, also making it easier to observe the direction.

Adult frogs, during the breeding season (late spring, after early summer rains), call female frogs to mate. The male frog carries the female frog on its back, holding her across the belly, and they head towards the water's edge for spawning. Wherever the female frog lays eggs, the male frog sits on her back and fertilizes them externally (external fertilization).

The fertilized eggs gather into floating clusters on the water surface. After a while, the eggs develop into tadpoles. They undergo a complex transformation process through multiple stages to become froglets and then mature into adult frogs.

Tarsiers are small primates found in the forests of Southeast Asia. Their most prominent feature is their large eyes, which can have a diameter of up to 1.6 cm. Relative to body size, these are the largest eyes among all mammalian species in the world. Similar to owls, the eyes of Tarsiers cannot move because they are fixed in the skull.

However, Tarsiers can rotate their heads 180 degrees to the left and right, allowing them to observe their surroundings. Tarsiers are nocturnal and only active at night, so the large eyes of Tarsiers give them excellent night vision. Additionally, their hearing is very sensitive. Both of these characteristics help Tarsiers detect prey in low-light conditions.

Tarsiers, also known as owl monkeys, are dry-nosed primates belonging to the Tarsiidae family, the only surviving family within the suborder Tarsiiformes. Although this group was once more widespread, all of its extant species are found only on islands in Southeast Asia, particularly in the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Brunei.

They are primarily found in forest habitats, especially forests with vines, as vines provide them with vertical support when climbing trees. This family was described by Gray in 1825.

The eyes of eagles have small oil droplets in front, helping them filter and direct light when in contact with the eyes. Possessing keen eyes capable of spotting prey from miles away, coupled with the exclusivity of wings, a wing span likened to Maleficent of real life, if you've seen that movie then the eagle's wings are a testament to real-life truth. A wing span can stretch to several meters and move in majestic flight. With these wings, they can swiftly soar to capture prey in moments of silence.

The eyes and wings of eagles are just a prelude to their hunting prowess. The real weapons are the pair of talons with 102 of them, along with strong legs and sharp talons. When combined, all three weapons form a complete and ruthless killing machine. With speed, skill, and available resources, once they have their sights set, it's very difficult to escape.

The hunting method of eagles is simple yet highly effective. Eagles primarily hunt while soaring high around their territory and suddenly dive with incredible speed to capture prey. Prey can be detected from 3 - 5 km away. Sometimes they also hunt from perches high up or hide in the vegetation near waterholes. The prey is often killed on trees, the ground, and even in mid-air. With such strength, they can even kill large animals and crush their skulls with sharp and powerful foot strikes.

Eagles usually nest on mountains or tall trees. Their nests are very large, and every year they return to add more branches to make the nest more sturdy. The nest is where the female eagle lays eggs. Each breeding season, the female eagle lays 2 eggs. Since the parent eagles can only raise one chick, there is often a battle between the two chicks. The winner will be nurtured until adulthood.

During the breeding season, they often go to places with many tall trees or high mountains to avoid other wild species. Their nests are so large that they often bring entire branches to help make the nest more secure. During each breeding season, the female eagle only lays 2 eggs. Due to the nature of the parent eagles, they can only raise one chick, so the eaglets will have to fight each other to decide who will be the one to go with the parent eagles.

The eyes of Siberian Huskies in Russia are almond-shaped and often have two white spots above, to adapt to low light conditions in their habitat, their eyes have developed extremely sensitive. The Husky's almond-shaped eyes are spaced apart and slightly slanted upwards. Eye color is also diverse such as sky blue, sea blue, amber, green, or brown. Some may have 2 eyes with each eye a different color. There may also be one or both eyes with mixed colors (parti-colored) half blue half brown. All the eye colors mentioned above are accepted as the eyes of 'purebred' Huskies.

Husky dogs are considered to have appearance and behavior similar to their ancestors, wolves. They like to communicate, communicate by howling rather than barking. They tend to wander and try to escape confinement. Huskies are considered escape masters, they can dig tunnels underneath, gnaw, or jump over high fences.

This is a child-friendly breed, the Chukchi people also use Husky dogs as protectors for their children. Because they are energetic breeds, they mostly show signs of hyperactivity, disruption when living confined in cramped quarters so they need stricter training methods than other breeds. They may chase cats, small animals over a very long distance and get lost, it will be very dangerous if they live in countries where dog theft is common like China or Vietnam so a leash is necessary when going outside. In addition, the Husky's pack mentality is very strong so they prefer to live with other dogs, or the owner should often be around.

The tail of the Husky dog is long and very furry, they often tuck their tails if there is no activity, when running jumping activities they often curl their tails up onto their backs to give the body extra warmth. This is also a common feature of some breeds of dogs originating from cold regions such as Akita, Alaskan Malamute, or Samoyed. When sleeping, the Husky dog will wrap its tail around its nose to keep the nose warm as in the photo. They will lower their tails when relaxing and raise their tails when excited or curious.

Approximately 99% of spiders have eight eyes. Some have six, four, or two. A few species have no eyes or have eyes but are blind. Spiders have two types of eyes. The large pairs of eyes help to form images. The secondary eyes assist the spider's movement and measure distances. The number and arrangement of spider eyes help an arachnologist identify the spider species.

A spider needs many eyes because it cannot rotate the Cephalothorax (head) to look. Instead, the pairs of eyes are fixed in place with an almost 360-degree field of view. To hunt and evade predators, spiders need the ability to sense movement around them.

The two main types of spider eyes are the principal eyes called Ocelli (primary eyes) and secondary eyes. In other arachnids, Ocelli only detect light direction, but in spiders, these eyes form real images. The principal eyes contain movable retinae to focus and track images. Most spider species have poor vision, but spider Ocelli outperform even dragonflies (insects with the best vision) and human approachability. The principal eyes are also called AME (Antero-medial Eyes).

The secondary eyes are compound eyes, not as large as the principal eyes. These eyes lack muscles and are entirely immobile. Most secondary eyes are round, but they can also be oval or crescent-shaped. The pairs of secondary eyes are identified based on position. The front eyes (ALE) are the top row of eyes on the head side. The side-back eyes (PLE) are the second row of eyes on the head side. The postero-median eyes (PME) are in the middle of the head. The secondary eyes may face forward or on both sides, above, or behind the spider's head.

Secondary eyes serve many functions. In some cases, secondary eyes help to expand the field of view for the principal eyes, giving the spider a wide-angle image. Secondary eyes act as motion detectors and provide deep cognitive information, helping spiders determine the distance and direction of prey or threats. In species that are nocturnal, the eyes have a Tapetum Lucidum, which reflects light and helps the spider see targets in dim light. Spiders with Tapetum Lucidum have glowing eyes at night.

Cats' eyes are capable of glowing in the dark due to the layer of cells called tapetum lucidum, helping them see clearly, stealthily scout, and attack prey. In many studies conducted by scientists on cats, their senses, such as cat eyes, whiskers... have been particularly noted.

There are many interesting facts about cat eyes. Their eyesight is much superior to that of humans. A cat's pupils can change up to 3 times a day to adapt to changes in light. When bright light shines, a cat's pupil is just a thin line. In the morning, the pupils are slightly larger, but when it's completely dark, a cat's pupils can expand and become completely round, allowing cats to see everything clearly in the dark.

Furthermore, some other senses of theirs are also quite developed, the whiskers acting as a balance-keeping part and helping cats easily recognize obstacles around them, cat fur contains some components that, when exposed to sunlight (cats often sunbathe), will produce vitamin D, so cats often lick their fur to supplement vitamin D for their bodies...

Cats are very sensitive to changes in weather, climate, and the subtle impacts of their surrounding environment. At certain times, such as full moon nights, cats often exhibit quite strange behaviors. They become more aggressive and tend to attack everything around them. In the United States, Japan, and some other countries, to prevent cases of stray cats causing injuries to humans, on full moon nights, the police force often has to increase patrols and control measures.

Scallops' eyes have the ability to regenerate to replace lost ones. They have numerous eyes along the edges inside both the right and left valves of their shell. If by chance one of their eyes is lost, they can completely regenerate another eye to replace it. This is something no other animal can do.

Scallops (Scientific name: Arcidae) is a term referring to the family of mollusks with two small to medium-sized shell valves. They live concentrated in freshwater, marine, and brackish environments. Their characteristic is the two shell valves that can open and close, with scallop shells varying in size, color, and pattern. There are over 200 species of scallops in nature.

The shells of most scallop species have an upper layer called a thick, brown 'skin' layer, adhering to the harder calcareous part of the shell. In some species like Barbatia, this outer layer is bundled at the end of the shell into something resembling a beard, hence the name Barbatia. This family is also called 'ship shells' in foreign countries because species like Arca have a large flat area in a shell layer that is not damaged, somewhat resembling a boat, with the rest of the shell perhaps depicting an ancient wooden boat like Noah's ark.

Scallops have the ability to adapt to a wide range of changes in salinity, ranging from 10 to 35‰ (specific gravity 1.007 – 1.017), with the suitable range being from 15 to 30‰. When the salt concentration drops below 10‰, especially during the rainy season, scallops will bury deep into the mud. If the salt concentration returns to normal within a short period of time, the scallops will emerge and continue to live normally, but prolonged low salt concentration can cause scallops to die. The thermal adaptation range of scallops is also very wide, from 20-30 degrees Celsius. Nutritional characteristics: Scallops' diet includes organic debris, algae, and microorganisms in the mud. Scallops feed passively by creating a water current through their mantle to obtain food. The feeding method of scallops is similar to other Bivalvia.

Despite being tiny creatures, fly eyes have a highly complex structure that allows them to observe the world with vision far superior to humans. Hidden within those eyes are thousands of intricate lenses that form an advanced observation system, enabling them to easily perceive. Let's take a close look at how these pesky insects observe the world.

Ever wondered why swatting flies can be so challenging? The compound eyes are a privilege bestowed upon flies by nature. Flies have a pair of compound eyes made up of thousands of visual receptors. Each lens operates independently to create a wide and mosaic image – allowing flies to detect even the smallest movements in a large area.

Although flies have nearly 360° vision, the images they receive aren't particularly sharp. Because fly eyes are immobile and lack pupils to control the amount of light entering the eye, they cannot focus on distance and can only see a few meters ahead. The best vision of a fly is compared to the mosaic part where small lenses, also known as ommatidia, receive independent images sent to the fly's brain, creating a cohesive image.

Furthermore, flies are limited in color display. Since flies have only two types of color receptors, they often struggle to distinguish between white and yellow as well as cannot see red at all.

Flies belong to the order Diptera (from the Greek di meaning 'two' and pteron meaning 'wing'), having a single pair of wings on the middle thoracic segment and a pair of balancing organs on the hind wings, on the last thoracic segment. Some fly species lack wings, as in the Hippoboscoidea family. Part of a large order, with over 240,000 species including mosquitoes, houseflies, and others, although less than half have been studied. It's a significant order in terms of ecology and importance to humans (in medicine and economics). True flies, especially mosquitoes (Culicidae family), are major disease vectors, transmitting diseases such as malaria, dengue fever, West Nile virus, yellow fever, and various other infectious diseases.

Crocodile eyes lack tear glands. The term 'crocodile tears' is a vivid image in language, for in reality, crocodiles never cry. They lack tear glands entirely. However, crocodile eyes can secrete a type of oily fluid from behind the third eyelid or eye membrane, to lubricate or cleanse the eyes and inhibit the growth of bacteria. The edges of this membrane can be seen at the edge of a crocodile's eye when it opens wide. The term 'crocodile tears' also originates from this.

Crocodile eyes are about the size of human eyes (about 24 mm wide or a bit smaller than a gumball!). They can come in various colors from brown to green and have a pupil similar to a cat's. Crocodiles have a vertical slit for a pupil and can close it to a very narrow line. Their eyes are located on the top of their heads so they can wait and ambush prey. They often conceal themselves just below the water surface with only their eyes and nostrils above water.

Crocodiles can see underwater! Sensory organs similarly reflective help crocodiles see at night aiding them in seeing underwater, where it's much darker. Much of the water crocodiles inhabit is freshwater and can be quite murky. These receptors help them create shapes of fish and other prey well enough to successfully hunt underwater and search for food.

Crocodiles have a third clear eyelid for underwater vision. The third eyelid is transparent so crocodiles can make out shapes of fish and crustaceans underwater but can also see if a larger mammal comes to the water's edge to drink. Crocodiles can use their powerful tails to propel themselves out of the water and attack prey. Using their strong jaws and serrated teeth, they drag the prey underwater and roll it over and over until it dies and sinks. Then, they tear it apart and swallow it whole.

Crocodiles can retract their eyeballs into sockets to protect them in a fight. They also have a thick armored layer above each eye. There are a few other animals that can retract their eyes, such as some frogs and whale sharks.