Things my brain won't kick out today

[gryphonrhi]

O great hive-mind, does someone know the correct biological term for vertical pupils (as in felines and reptiles)? Thanks! (Boy is this song strangely appropriate...)

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Comments

Cat's Eye Syndrome

[damemehri]

This is pretty accurate:

http://www.bing.com/search?q=cat+eye+syndrome&form=OSDSRC

Re: Cat's Eye Syndrome

[gryphonrhi]

No, I wasn't clear enough, Mehri, sorry! I'm not looking for the term for the human problem. I'd have sworn there was a specific term indicating a vertical pupil sometimes used in discussion of snakes or cats. I'm trying to find that term. Thank you, though!

[em_kellesvig]

In cats, the shape is simply called elliptical. In humans, the condition is known as Coloboma or "Cat's Eye Syndrome."

[gryphonrhi]

Huh. I keep thinking there's a specific bio term for it, Mischief. Damn. It'll turn up eventually, however.

(Is that icon from Beadattitude's series?)

[em_kellesvig]

I googled it every which way but it kept coming up "elliptical" or "vertical." Sorry.

Oh, and you'll be interested to know that elliptical pupils show up in small cats, foxes, venomous snakes, and some lizards. But not in big cats. It's a function of hunting at night, and dusk/dawn. It also means that such animals are far-sighted -- very poor close vision -- and house cats are colorblind. Food for thought.

(Yes, that's John from Beadattitude's "Checkmate", my first SGA story. It's a manip of Sheppard's human eye with a cat's. Since I rec the series so often, I keep it around.)

[gryphonrhi]

Oh, cool! Yes, I am interested to know that! And like you, I tried Google and couldn't find it. Calime, over on DW, checked a veterinary database and couldn't find it either, so maybe I dreamed it?

Thank you for looking!

[mackiedockie]

This isn't quite a technical biologic term, but has the narrow band and cat association--
chatoyant

: having a changeable luster or color with an undulating narrow band of white light

French, from present participle of chatoyer to shine like a cat's eyes

[gryphonrhi]

Sorry, thought I'd replied to this.

Thank you! I think that's also the term for star sapphires, now that I see it....