Re: What animal eyes are bigger than it's brain

I am afraid that after asking numerous persons around here, including persons who work on eye development, we have no definite idea of any animal that has eyes larger than its brain. Most vertebrates that we can think of all have fairly large brains compared to their eyes; even many amphibians and reptiles with large looking eyes. One curious problem that may surprise you about this question however is this:

The eyes are holding part of an animals forebrain!!!!!! You and I have brain in our eyes!!! The neural retina (photoreceptor cells, ganglia cells) is considered part of the forebrain. Nerve fibers from the retina run along the optic nerve into the brain case of the skull. So, actually a bigger eye with a bigger retina just makes for more brain.

If you go to the insect world or the fish world I believe you may find some creatures with visual structures that are larger than their brain, but then again their eyes hold part of the brain.

Hope this gives you something to think about.

Ken Mitton, PhD