University of Exeter Consultancy Services
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Animal Vision Services

Many animals see the world very differently to humans, regarding colour, pattern, and field of view. We can offer a range of services related to understanding animal vision in different contexts, from health and welfare to product testing. We are world leaders in using and developing photography and imaging tools for this purpose. This allows us to visualise objects and scenes as they appear to other animals and to take precise measurements of how they look to a wide variety of species.

Our team has worked with more than 20 different companies, charities, and organisations, ranging from the Natural History Museum, London, to British Horseracing Authority. Determining how animals react to their surroundings and visualise and detect objects is key to understanding a wide range of questions related to their welfare, training and performance, developing ways to effectively manage wild and captive animals, and developing and testing products.

Our expertise

Our expertise covers several areas:

  • Visualising how animals see the world. Our expertise, equipment, and analytical approaches enable us to create images that simulate how the colours and patterns in a scene look to an animal, or how visible certain key features are. We have, and are working with a range of organisations to use these approaches to improve animal welfare, productivity, performance, and safety in industry and recreation.
  • Public exhibitions, outreach, and media. We have extensive experience in creating visual displays for the general public and target audiences, including major exhibitions in the UK and abroad, materials and educational online games, and public lectures.
  • New product design and testing. Knowing how other animals see the world is vital in the successful development of many products and services. We have worked with several companies to test existing products and design new ones, and to test what factors influence how an object or stimulus is seen and responded to. We have also worked to create new set-ups for imaging needed by industry.

Martin Stevens is head of the Sensory Ecology laboratory that undertakes this work. Please contact him for further information.