Domestic animals
From Comparative Physiology of Vision
Domestic animals all share a common trait in that their selection is controlled primarily by human intervention. They have formed separate species from their wild counterparts since humans began controlling their breeding and social behavior. Domestic animals have traits desirable to humans that have been selected for over time, such as their production of meat, milk, or fur for human consumption or use or their domesticity which allows them to be used as companions. All of the domestic animals described here are mammals and therefore share some common characteristics of visual perception but many marked differences between species are also present since domestic mammals represent a vast spectrum of phylogenic families. This wiki has been divided into sections describing domestic animal species individually.
Contents |
Domestic Animals
Dogs
Cats
Cows
Goats/Sheep
Horses
Rabbits
Pigs
House Mouse
Group Questions
Dogs:
1. What anatomical features of the dog's eye have evolved to aid them in their diurnal behavior?
2. What do dogs have in place of a fovea? How does this affect visual acuity?
Cats:
1. Give three adaptations cats exhibit that enhance their ability to see in low-light conditions.
2. What mechanism do cats use to lubricate and clear debris from their corneas?
3. How have cats adapted to hunt prey? How has this compromised their visual abilities in other respects?
Cows:
Goats/Sheep: 1. What advantages and disadvantages are confered by the rectangular shaped pupil of the Sheep and Goat?
Horses:
Rabbits:
Pigs: 1. Why do you think camoflage marketed to ungulate (family that pigs are in) hunters might differ from camoflage marketed towards the military clients?
House Mouse:
1. Of the eight specific amino acids in the S-cone pigment responsible for UV vision in vertebrates, what is the minimum number of amino acids that must change in order for the evolution of a violet pigment?
2. To what extent does the mouse retina co-express UV and M opsins?
