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Re: The benefit of three eyes in a triangle shape
Posted By: PhiltronDate: 11/3/16 8:59 p.m.

In Response To: The benefit of three eyes in a triangle shape (VikingBoyBilly)

: I was checking out some VR and AR today and this got me thinking, again,
: about the pfhor visual anatomy.

: What on earth is the point of a third eye? Well, what's the point of two? We
: only need one to see.

: The advantage of two eyes is that it gives us a little bit more depth
: perception by expanding our cone of vision slightly to the left and right.
: We could say our line of sight is right inbetween the eyes, but with three
: eyes in a triangle position at a slightly convex angle, that line of sight
: is moved to the spot inbetween all three eyes. So, not only is there a bit
: of a wider cone to the left and right, there is also better perseption of
: what's above and below the pfhor in their cone of vision. What the pfhor
: have achieved is still being able to see ahead while their head is tilted
: up or down. Amazing, isn't it? This kind of eyesight is probably better
: adapted for spending life in the more 3D environment of a low-gravity
: spaceship than being a landlubber with gravity that pins you down to the
: planet's center.

It is fun to wonder what environmental conditions could have led to having three eyes. Obviously the zero gravity environment doesn't make sense (unless the pfhor evolved in vacuum).

Animals on Earth evolved two eyes for (as had been stated) depth perception which made it easier to make sense of three dimensional physical space which in turn allowed for faster and more precise movement within that space thus making it easier to avoid predators or capture prey.

So how would three eyes improve on depth perception from two eyes? As you said, it wouldn't, so what kind of environmental conditions could have encouraged the selection of three eyes?

I'm going to jump off from your point about being able to see up while still looking ahead (and I'll ignore the down pointed triangle of the Marathon 1 eyes). What if in the Pfhor's ancient genetic ancestry there was a high risk of predation from air born animals? The ability to view of a higher angle while still looking forward would be a great advantage for running away while still observing predators above oneself.

And I believe in Marathon 1 Leela says that the Pfhor's light bodies were adapted for lower gravities. So, if the Pfhor's home planet had a lighter gravity than Earth's then this might encourage a greater number of lifeforms with flight since in a lower gravity it takes less energy to fly. Thus the proliferation of aerial predators might have been what selected for a trait that allowed for visibility of the terrain in front of oneself as well as the skies simultaneously.

Just my two sense.

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Replies:

The benefit of three eyes in a triangle shapeVikingBoyBilly 11/1/16 1:17 p.m.
     Re: The benefit of three eyes in a triangle shapeForrest of B.org 11/1/16 3:35 p.m.
           Re: The benefit of three eyes in a triangle shapeAustinHinton 11/6/16 2:58 p.m.
     Re: The benefit of three eyes in a triangle shapePhiltron 11/3/16 8:59 p.m.
           Re: The benefit of three eyes in a triangle shapeLion O Cyborg 11/7/16 3:20 a.m.

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