OwlSo extraordinary is an owl's night vision, it can spot a mouse creeping through the underbrush more than a football field away on a moonless night. A number of factors are responsible: an unusual eye shape that provides a broad retinal surface; an iris that can dilate almost twice as wide as a hawk's iris; and a special lens that enlarges visual information much like a telescope does. What's different about the nocturnal eye? Photo: Corbis-Bettmann. Night Vision | Zoology After Dark Resources | Guide | Transcript | Night Creatures Home Editor's Picks | Previous Sites | Join Us/E-mail | TV/Web Schedule About NOVA | Teachers | Site Map | Shop | Jobs | Search | To print PBS Online | NOVA Online | WGBH © | Updated November 2000 |
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