The Visual System of Dolphins 1 A Review

The visual system of the dolphin, particularly the bottle-nosed dolphin, Tursiops truncatus, has been observed extensively in the field from a behavioral aspect. However, from a physiological perspective, Pryor quoted one researcher as follows. “Compared to our knowledge of vision in terrestrial animals, our fundamental knowledge of the cetacean’s highly evolved and very different eye is ‘pathetic.’” This situation appears to be largely unchanged in 2009. There are many unresolved questions that prevent a detailed description of the performance of the dolphin visual system. As a result, the literature of dolphin vision should be considered largely exploratory rather than descriptive.