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Crocodiles don't focus underwater.

L J Fleishman1, H C Howland, M J Howland

  • 1Department of Zoology, University of Texas, Austin 78712.

Journal of Comparative Physiology. A, Sensory, Neural, and Behavioral Physiology
|August 1, 1988
PubMed
Summary
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Crocodilians focus well on distant targets in air but are severely defocused underwater. This suggests non-visual senses are crucial for their underwater prey capture.

Area of Science:

  • Comparative physiology
  • Ophthalmology
  • Animal behavior

Background:

  • Crocodilians are amphibious predators with adaptations for both terrestrial and aquatic environments.
  • Prior research indicated potential limitations in underwater visual accommodation for crocodilians.
  • Understanding visual capabilities is key to explaining their hunting strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the refractive state and focusing ability of crocodilian eyes in both air and water.
  • To determine the extent of visual defocus experienced by crocodilians underwater.
  • To infer the role of vision versus other senses in underwater prey detection.

Main Methods:

  • Examined the plane of focus for six species of crocodilians.
  • Conducted assessments in both aerial and aquatic environments.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Measured visual acuity and refractive error under different conditions.

    • Main Results:

    • Crocodilian eyes demonstrated excellent focus on distant objects in air.
    • Significant visual defocus was observed when eyes were submerged in water.
    • The degree of underwater defocus varied among species but was consistently substantial.

    Conclusions:

    • Crocodilian vision is optimized for aerial or surface hunting, not for underwater prey detection.
    • Severe underwater visual impairment suggests reliance on non-visual sensory systems for aquatic hunting.
    • Further research should explore the contribution of other senses like electroreception or mechanoreception in crocodilian predation.