Enjoy this photo dump of some of the patients we’ve seen this year. All of these owls have been released and we still have four in our care. This year, they’ve come to us for window and auto collisions, gunshots, fishing line, and electricity. Let’s appreciate the beauty of these regal raptors and do our part in helping them stay wild.
In the first photo, the owl has a shadow over his left eye, and the pupil is larger than the right. Do their pupils dilate independently of one another, or is this the unfortunate result of brain trauma? If it’s natural, that’s a really cool adaptation.
Great attention to detail!
Owls not only have the ability to dilate their pupils independently, but they can also do it voluntarily. The only thing they can’t do with their eyes is to move them, as they are not spherical like ours, but shaped like a light bulb, with the fat end inside their skull. This is why they have to move their entire head to look at things.
To see some more about this independent dilation and how checking its function is used to test for eye injury, check this post and this post.
The second linked post has one of my fav pics of the year as well!
Owls can control their pupils independently. They have such neat adaptations to make them such effective hunters. Amazing you noticed that detail - are you sure you’re not an owl?
I agree with every statement you have made! 😆