The Secret of Pupil Shape 瞳孔横竖的秘密

They say that the eyes are the window to the soul. That is， simply looking into a person’s eyes can reveal details about what they are thinking and how they are feeling. In fact， in the animal kingdom， the eyes， and particularly the shape of the pupils， can actually tell us far more information about the animal. For example， some animals， such as cats and foxes， often have narrow， vertical pupils， while others， such as deer and sheep， have far wider and more horizontal ones. Such differences are， without doubt， no coincidence.

有人说，眼睛是心灵之窗。也就是说，只要观察一个人的眼睛，就能看出他在想什么及其感受。事实上，在动物界，眼睛──尤其是瞳孔的形状──的确可以告诉我们关于动物的更多信息。例如，有些动物（如猫和狐狸）的瞳孔通常是狭窄而垂直的，而另一些动物（如鹿和羊）的瞳孔则更宽且更水平。毫无疑问，这些差异绝非巧合。

In the wild， a fox’s pupils become narrow when the fox is seeking prey. With such pupils， a fox can see vertical objects clearly， even from a distance， whereas horizontal objects go out of focus as they become farther away. This difference between focused and blurry objects helps a fox judge distance， which is vital when it hunts.

在野外，当狐狸寻找猎物时，瞳孔会变窄。有了这样的瞳孔，即使在远处，狐狸也能清楚地看到垂直的物体，而水平的物体则会随着距离拉远而变得失焦。这种聚焦物体和模糊物体之间的差异有助于狐狸判断距离，这在捕猎时至关重要。

By contrast， the more horizontal， almost rectangular pupils of animals like deer， which are often sought as prey， are not believed to help with depth perception in the same way. However， the pupils are believed to provide strong peripheral vision， which refers to the ability to see objects within one’s whole field of vision， not only those directly in front. Such an advantage can help with escaping from larger hunters， who thus may be seen approaching from any direction.

相比之下，鹿等动物的瞳孔更为水平，且几乎呈长方形。这些动物通常被当作猎物，人们认为它们的瞳孔不是以同样的方式提高它们的深度知觉。然而，其瞳孔被认为能提供很强的周边视觉，这是指能够看到整个视野内的物体，而不仅仅是正前方的物体。这种优势有助于其逃离大型捕食者的猎捕，因此从任何方向过来的捕食者都可能会被看见。

Of course， there are exceptions to these trends， and the likelihood is that the pupil shape is dictated by multiple factors. Nevertheless， much like those of humans， animals’ pupils can reveal much about their intentions at any given moment. Truly， the eyes disclose what the tongue never could.

当然，这些倾向也有例外，瞳孔的形状很可能是由多种因素决定的。不过与人类的瞳孔一样，动物的瞳孔在任何时候都能透露出许多意图。眼睛确实能透露出舌头无法传达的信息。

Word Bank

reveal /rɪ'viːl/ v. 揭示；显示；透露

Details of the murder were revealed by the local paper.

coincidence /kəʊ'ɪnsɪdəns/ n.（令人吃惊的）巧合，巧事

vital /'vaɪtl/ adj. 必不可少的；对……极重要的

Reading is of vital importance in language learning.

dictate /dɪk'teɪt/ v. 支配；摆布；决定