Why do cats have dragon eyes?
from sopularity_fax@sopuli.xyz to nostupidquestions@lemmy.ca on 17 Sep 12:46
https://sopuli.xyz/post/33824658

^Full_disclosure^: my conception of dragon eyes is almost, if not entirely derived from Shrek

#nostupidquestions

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berdandy@lemmy.ca on 17 Sep 12:52 next collapse

Because dragons drawn with goat eyes would be weird.

angrystego@lemmy.world on 17 Sep 18:51 collapse

Now I need a weird goat-eyed dragon.

lvxferre@mander.xyz on 17 Sep 12:52 next collapse

Their pupils are vertical slits so they can let more or less light in, depending on the surrounding light. Note how they pupils dilate by a lot when in the dark, but if your cat is lazying under the Sun the slit gets really narrow.

remon@ani.social on 17 Sep 13:08 collapse

Their pupils are vertical slits so they can let more or less light in,

The same goes for round pupils so that doesn’t explain why they are vertical. They are also mostly found in nocturnal predators, so regulating light intake isn’t that biggest concern (in fact they often also have a tapetum lucidum to re-use the little light they can get).

From what I’ve read the vertical shape of the pupil is beneficial for judging distances (important for pouncing on things).

remon@ani.social on 17 Sep 12:57 next collapse

Can you explain what a dragon eyes are in the context of Shrek?

Pat_Riot@lemmy.today on 17 Sep 13:04 collapse

I believe the term is “come hither”.

Dotcom@lemmy.ml on 17 Sep 13:03 next collapse

Considering one exists and the other doesn’t, a better question might be why do people draw dragons with cat eyes.

sopularity_fax@sopuli.xyz on 17 Sep 13:04 next collapse

Ah, the ol’ Lemmy switche-roo

datavoid@lemmy.ml on 17 Sep 17:11 collapse

Hold on to my Linux memes - actually nevermind

sopularity_fax@sopuli.xyz on 17 Sep 17:14 collapse

Nah its cool; ive come to exoect and lean in to them

Flagstaff@programming.dev on 17 Sep 14:19 next collapse

Given @sopularity_fax@sopuli.xyz 's disclosure about having not even seen other depicted dragons, it should actually be: “Why are the Shrek dragon’s eyes stylized like a cat’s?”

Go watch The Witcher S1, OP!

angrystego@lemmy.world on 17 Sep 18:50 collapse

But what would be the fun in that question?

orbituary@lemmy.dbzer0.com on 17 Sep 13:27 next collapse

Just so I understand. Why does a real life animal have the eyes of a fictional creature, in this instance, one created in a CGI film made within the last 25 years?

actionjbone@sh.itjust.works on 17 Sep 13:47 next collapse

Because, as a rite of passage, all newborn cats must slay a dragon and take its eyes.

angrystego@lemmy.world on 17 Sep 18:54 collapse

And when they successfully subdue the dragon, they exchange their eyes with them. So this is the perfect answer to both the questions of why cats have dragon eyes and why dragons have cat eyes.

DemBoSain@midwest.social on 17 Sep 15:15 next collapse

Cats have vertical slits because their prey animals consist of rodents (ground) and birds (air). The slit gives them a larger vertical field of view. Imagine viewing life like a TikTok influencer.

Some prey animals (goats) have horizontal slits so they can more easily watch for predators.

Onomatopoeia@lemmy.cafe on 17 Sep 15:18 next collapse

I think you mean why do dragons have cat eyes

sopularity_fax@sopuli.xyz on 17 Sep 15:19 collapse

Probably

violetsoftness@piefed.blahaj.zone on 17 Sep 16:47 collapse

oh See Invisible doesn't work as well with round eyes, it's easier to collect the threads of reality on the sharper edges of cat eyes. You'll find similar eyes on most creatures that can see invisible things.