Small animals experience time in slow motion, new study suggests

Imagine your world going in slow-motion, like some scenes in "The Matrix," only on a permanent basis - that's how smaller animals like insects and small birds see the world every day.

 

This was suggested in a new study that indicated such small animals can take in more information in one second compared to bigger animals, the BBC reported.

 

"The ability to perceive time on very small scales may be the difference between life and death for fast-moving organisms such as predators and their prey," said lead author Kevin Healy, at Trinity College Dublin (TCD), Ireland.

 

"We are beginning to understand that there is a whole world of detail out there that only some animals can perceive and it's fascinating to think of how they might perceive the world differently to us," co-author Andrew Jackson added.

 

Also, some of the study's findings appeared to apply to humans as well, with athletes and younger people able to process certain visual information more quickly.

 

The BBC said the study showed faster vision allows the smaller animals to escape from larger predators. It said the researchers had their work published in the journal Animal Behaviour.

 

In contrast, the study found bigger animals may miss things the smaller animals can easily see.

 

The BBC said the study found animals with the fastest visual systems included golden mantled ground squirrels, starlings and pigeons.

 

On the other hand, it found a species of tiger beetle could run faster than its eyes can process information, such that it has to stop at times to re-check its prey's position.

 

Time perception

 

In their study, the team measured animals' time perception by measuring the speed at which the eye can process light - a technique called critical flicker fusion frequency.

 

They found a strong relationship between body size and how quick the eye responds to changing visual information.

 

Slowest visual systems

 

The study found several fly species have eyes that process information more than four times quicker than the human eye.

 

In contrast, the common European eel, the leatherback turtle, and the blacknose shark were found to have the slowest visual systems although they were small, the BBC reported.

 

Researchers found the eel and blacknose shark have slow metabolisms, which they blamed for the slow visual systems.

 

Meanwhile, the study noted the leatherback turtle feeds mainly on slow-moving jellyfish and has a very slow metabolism.

 

But the study found the animals with the slowest visual systems include some deep-sea isopods, a type of marine woodlouse.

 

BBC quoted Jackson as saying the study found these animals can only see a light turning off and on four times per second and see it as being constantly on.

 

Humans

 

Among humans, the study cited athletes who can process visual information more quickly, such as determining where a ball may be coming from.

 

On the other hand, Jackson also said age may be a factor on how fast humans can absorb visual information.

 

He noted younger people can react more quickly than older people, but the speed may go down with age.

 

"From a human perspective, our ability to process visual information limits our ability to drive cars or fly planes any faster than we currently do in Formula 1, where these guys are pushing the limits of what is humanly possible," he said.

 

Going any quicker "would require either computer assistance, or enhancement of our visual system, either through drugs or ultimately implants," he added.

 

Brain power

 

On the other hand, Graeme Ruxton of the University of St Andrews, Scotland, another co-author, said fast visual systems may be useless if the brain is not fast enough to process them.

 

"Hence, this work highlights the impressive capabilities of even the smallest animal brains. Flies might not be deep thinkers but they can make good decisions very quickly," Ruxton said. — TJD, GMA News