A shark’s eye view: motion vision and behaviour in apex predators

Sharks rely heavily on the visual sense for communication, navigation, and to detect and identify predators, prey and conspecifics. In this thesis, I present new research on the physiological and behavioural mechanisms of motion vision in sharks. I describe studies on the temporal resolution and contrast sensitivity of the shark retina, quantify the extent and function of eye movements and link these features to locomotion and predatory behaviour. These new insights into visual perception in sharks have led to the design and testing of two potential shark mitigation strategies.