New research, the results of which will be presented at the annual meeting of the British Environmental Society in Edinburgh, has revealed this the animals Those who perceive time faster are the little ones, those who can fly or marine predators.
In the largest study of its kind to date, Dr. Kevin Healyfrom the University of Galway, analyzed the speed with which more than 100 animals notice changes in the world, known as temporal perception. Thus, he and his team discovered that animals with fast lifestyles have visual systems that are able to detect changes at a faster rate.
species like buzz s Dragon fly They are the ones who detect changes faster, with insight 300 Hz (able to see changes 300 times per second), much faster than humans can see 65 Hz.
The bee and the dragonfly are the two species in the animal kingdom that have the fastest perception of time. Photo: Pixabay/Flickr
In vertebrates, the fastest were the eyes of birds Pied flycatcherwho watched at 146 Hz. Salmon Saw 96 Hz and dog at 75 Hz.
On the other hand, the slowest were Uyun Uyun Crown of thorns starfish with 0.7 Hz.
Dogs can perceive events at 75 Hz, unlike humans, who perceive at 65 Hz. Photo: Flickr
What’s the point of seeing faster?
“Having fast vision helps species perceive rapid changes in the environment. This detailed visualization of changes is very useful if you are moving quickly or need to locate moving prey.” Explained by Dr. Kevin Healy Declaration.
“By looking at such a wide range of animals, from dragonflies to starfish, our results show that species’ perception of time itself is related to how quickly their environment can change. This can help us understand predator-prey interactions or even how Aspects such as light pollution affect some species more than others.”
An unexpected result of the search is that Many terrestrial predators have a relatively slow perception of time compared to aquatic animals.
Dr Kevin Healy said: “We think this difference may be because in aquatic environments predators can constantly adjust their positions while pouncing on prey, whereas in terrestrial environments predators that pounce on prey, such as the jumping spider, cannot make adjustments once they are released.” “.
Not all animals have a quick perception of time, because it is energy costly and limited by how quickly neurons associated with retinal cells can recharge. Animals that do not need fast vision use this energy for other needs, such as growth or reproduction.
Perception of time also varies within a single species, including humans. Some studies suggest that goalkeepers see faster changes in football, and that coffee can temporarily increase this perception by a small amount.
Study details
The analysis of this research used data collected in several studies that measured perception of time through flashing-light experiences.
In each experiment, a light was flashed and the speed at which the optic nerve sent the information was recorded using special devices called electroencephalograms, which in turn measured how quickly the animal detected the speed of the light flashing. This is known as the critical flicker fusion frequency.
With information from Europa Press
