Anonymous asked:
Hi there Bunjy!! I'm trying to research shark physiology in order to write it as accurately as I can in fiction―biology itself isn't my strong suit―and I stumbled upon your post about shark eyes, which was super neat to read! I was wondering, could sharks with slit eye pupils also have that black orb illusion under any circumstances (lighting, for example)? I can't seem to find an answer anywhere online, so I apologize for the bother! You're a rad biologist though; I hope you have a great day!
bunjywunjy answered:
absolutely, if the color of the shark’s iris was dark enough!
the way it works with real-life sharks is that the ones with slit eyes tend to have irises that match their body color, so they’re mostly silvery-gray or light bronze.
however, if you applied some artistic license and made the iris a dark grey or brown, it would absolutely give the illusion of being a solid black eyeball! BUT WITH ONE IMPORTANT EXTRA BENEFIT:
slit-eyed sharks are mostly active at night, so their eyes shine in the dark like a cat’s do.
gamegrrl
