What Animal Has the Biggest Eyes?
What Animal Has the Biggest Eyes? The eye of the colossal or giant squid is the largest in the animal kingdom. It measures over 11 inches across. That’s bigger than a soccer ball! Sailors once told tales of sea monsters that attacked ships and carried them to the bottom. The “monsters” that these men saw were giant squid.
The squid may never have pulled some hapless ship beneath the waves, but they sure must have looked like gigantic sea monsters. The largest giant squid may grow 55 feet long and weigh more than a ton. They have huge biting beaks and long arms covered with suction cups.
Researchers say these huge eyes help the colossal squid survive and thrive in the depths of the Southern Ocean. Their eyes face forward, allowing them to properly judge distances. At great depths, where there is very little light, their large eyes also help them spot large animals, including predators like sperm whales.
Sperm whales trigger bioluminescence from the great density of tiny planktonic animals that they collide with while swimming. This light creates a bright aura around and behind the whale that can be seen at a great distance in the sea (about 120 m away), but only by an animal with an eye as large as that of the colossal squid.