Nominatedforthe2024YellowCedarAwardImaginebeingabletoseeinultravioletwavelengths,orlocatingyournextmealinneardarkness,orbeingabletorotateyoureyesindependentlysoyoucanseenearlyeverythingaroundyouwithoutmovingyourhead.Thesearejustafewexamplesoftheincredibleadaptationsanimals’eyeshavemadetohelpthemsurviveandthriveintheirhabitats.AnimalEyesintroducesyoungreaderstothewonderful,wide-rangingandsometimesdownrightweirdeyesthatmakeuptheanimalkingdom.Thebookstartswithacrashcourseinhoweyesandvisionwork--coveringeverythingfromthebiologyofeyestothephysicsoflighttothefeaturesthatprotecteyesandkeepthemclean.Followingthisisasurveyof40oftheworld’smostinterestinganimaleyes,repletewithgorgeousfull-bleedandinsetphotosanddetailedcaptions.Herearejustsomeoftheanimalscovered:Thebaldeagleseesfourtofivetimesbetterthanhumans;infactitcanseesmallpreyasfaras2milesaway.Beescanseeultravioletbull’s-eyepatternsonflowerpetals,directingthemtospecificflowers.Domesticcatshavestronglow-lightvision,whichallowsthemtohuntinthedark.Aspecialfeaturecalledatapetumlucidumisareflectivelayerundertheirretinas.Thisgivescatsandotheranimalsthatdistincteyeglow.Peacockmantisshrimparesaidtohavethebestvisionintheworld.Theircompoundeyesrotateindependentlyinalldirectionsontheendofstalks.Theireyesareunlikeanyotheranimal’s:theycandetectultravioletlight,infraredlightandhave16photoreceptors.Theycanalsoseepolarizedlight.AnimalEyesissuretoenthrallandinspirethenextgenerationofyoungnaturalistswithitsinformativetextandbeautifulphotos.
