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Lemon shark vision: the science and the numbers

Negaprion brevirostris · order Carcharhiniformes · Sharks and rays: all the numbers

The lemon shark has one cone type, so no colour vision in daylight.[1] Its eyes cover about 308° with 10° seen by both eyes.[10] The lemon shark stops seeing flicker at 37 Hz, against 60 Hz for people.[27]

See it on your photoBack to How does the lemon shark see?
  • 1colour receptor classMeasured*
  • 308°field of viewMeasured
  • 37hertz flicker fusion (motion)Measured

The lemon shark (Negaprion brevirostris) is a shark or ray in the order Carcharhiniformes. Its eyes belong to the vision type Shark, ray and warm-eyed ocean predator: few cone types and a reflective layer for dim water. Measured in this species: colour, field of view and motion (flicker fusion). Measured colour or sharpness: a measured receptor set or acuity in this species; other dials come from relatives or group defaults.

This is a simulation built from published eye measurements, not what the animal experiences.

Method: How we know what animals see (the See Like Animals vision engine) · Sources · Last updated . Every value below carries its evidence level and sources; nothing is typed by hand.

What the lemon shark sees: colour receptors

Lemon shark colour receptor peaks, 300 to 700 nmLemon shark: 1 receptor peak at 518 nm; you: 3 at 421.5, 532, 558.4 nm. ultraviolet300400500600700
Lemon shark: 518 nmPeople: 421.5, 532, 558.4 nmWavelength in nanometres

What stands out

  • It has one receptor class for colour, so it sees brightness but no hue.
  • Its eyes cover about 308° around the head, with 10° seen by both eyes at once.
  • It stops seeing flicker at 37 Hz, against 60 Hz for people in this dataset, so fast motion looks choppier to it.[27][28]

The six dials

Evidence levels: how the tiers work. "Measured" means a value measured in this species; "Estimated" values come from a close relative or an eye-size formula. The last column gives the values for people from the same catalogue.

Vision values for the lemon shark (Negaprion brevirostris), catalogue-v1
DialValueEvidenceSourcesPeople
ColourColour receptors
1 receptor class: 518 nm (MWS (green))
species-v1.csv value measured in this species (not in tidy tables)
Measured (not re-verified)[1]Colour receptors: 3 receptor classes: 421.5 nm (VS/SWS (violet)), 532 nm (MWS (green)), 558.4 nm (LWS (long)) Measured (not re-verified)[2][3][4][5]
SharpnessAcuity
6.458 cycles per degree
median of 6 relatives in family Carcharhinidae: Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos, Carcharhinus leucas, Carcharhinus melanopterus, Carcharhinus plumbeus, Galeocerdo cuvier, Prionace glauca
Estimated[6][7]Acuity: 63.75 cycles per degree Measured[8][9]
Field of viewBinocular overlap
10°
measured in this species (extension 2026-10, fov-verified.csv)
Measured[10]Binocular overlap: 122.5° Measured[11][12]
Total field of view: 200° Measured (not re-verified)[13]
Blind area behind the head: 160° Derived[13]
Eye placement: frontal Derived[11][12]
Total field of view
308°
measured in this species (extension 2026-10, fov-verified.csv)
Measured[10]
Field of one eye
159°; horizontal or vertical plane as stated; anaesthetised animals; in water; horizontal plane; mean ± s.e.m. (s.e.m. 0.5)		Measured[10]
Binocular overlap (published value)
10°; horizontal or vertical plane as stated; anaesthetised animals; in water; horizontal plane, anterior binocular overlap, physiological (ERG); mean ± s.e.m. (s.e.m. 1.5)		Measured[10]
Total field (published value)
308°; horizontal or vertical plane as stated; anaesthetised animals; in water; horizontal plane; mean ± s.e.m. (s.e.m. 0.7)		Measured[10]
Field of one eye, vertical plane
184.8°; horizontal or vertical plane as stated; anaesthetised animals; in water; vertical plane; mean ± s.e.m. (s.e.m. 0.4)		Measured[10]
Binocular overlap, vertical plane
4.3°; horizontal or vertical plane as stated; anaesthetised animals; in water; vertical plane (dorsal and ventral overlap); mean ± s.e.m. (s.e.m. 0.6)		Measured[10]
Total field, vertical plane
360°; horizontal or vertical plane as stated; anaesthetised animals; in water; vertical plane; mean ± s.e.m. (s.e.m. 0.0)		Measured[10]
Sharp zones (foveas)No value in the catalogue.Number of foveas: 1 Measured[14]
Fovea type: fovea Measured[14]
Night visionNight sensitivity (optical, against people): estimated F-number
S = 0.9 µm² sr, 0.968 times people (log10 ratio -0.014)
estimated F-number: receptor size measured in this species, F-number from a group constant or the Matthiessen ratio (not measured in this species)
Derived[15]Activity pattern: diurnal Measured (not re-verified)[16][17][18][2][19][20][21][22]
Pupil shape: vertical Group default[23][24]
Reflective layer (tapetum): no Measured[25]
Rods vs cones: cone-dominated Derived[16][17][18][2][19][20][21][22]
Night sensitivity (optical, against people): S = 0.93 µm² sr, 1 times people (log10 ratio 0) Derived[26]
Motion (flicker fusion)Flicker fusion frequency
37 Hz
median of 1 rows (no bright-light flag) (behavioural/whole-eye ERG rows; all rows: [37.0])
Measured[27]Flicker fusion frequency: 60 Hz Measured[27][28]

All sharks and rays side by side: Sharks and rays: every measurement. Method: how we know what animals see.

Sources

  1. Hart et al. 2025
  2. Longcore 2023
  3. Kirwan
  4. Müller et al. 2009
  5. Thermal Activation and Photoactivation of Visual… 2004
  6. Caves et al. 2023
  7. Claes et al. 2014
  8. Kirk et al. 2004
  9. Veilleux et al. 2014
  10. McComb et al. 2009
  11. Heesy 2004
  12. Heffner et al. 1992
  13. Campbell & Green 1965
  14. Kopania et al. 2025
  15. Claes et al. 2014
  16. Anderson et al. 2017
  17. Borges et al. 2018
  18. Wilman et al. 2014
  19. Maor et al. 2017
  20. Jones et al. 2009
  21. Schmitz et al. 2011
  22. Moura et al. 2024
  23. Banks et al. 2015
  24. Cervino et al. 2021
  25. Guareschi et al. 2025
  26. Brauburger et al. 2026
  27. Healy et al. 2013
  28. Inger et al. 2014

Every value cites its sources (all sources). Values were extracted from these works and converted (units, medians, derived values); changes are ours, and the listed sources do not endorse this site. Data: catalogue-v1, built 2026-09-29. Accuracy notes: how accurate is this? Method: how we know.