Nearly panoramic sight defines a rabbit’s view of the world. Eyes sit high and far to the sides of the skull, pushing each eyeball outward so that the visual fields wrap around the head. The result is almost full circle coverage, allowing detection of predators approaching from behind, above, and from most lateral angles.
This coverage depends on the geometry of the orbit, the curvature of the cornea and lens, and the way light focuses on the retina. Each eye monitors a wide monocular field, while a narrow strip overlaps in front to support depth perception through binocular vision. Outside that overlap, motion is still registered, but distance is judged mainly by parallax and head movement.
The apparent paradox is the blind spot that sits just in front of the nose. There, the two monocular fields diverge rather than converge, leaving a small zone that falls outside both retinas. Neural circuitry in the visual cortex cannot reconstruct what never reaches photoreceptors. Whiskers, smell, and tactile feedback close this sensory gap at close range, while the almost circular visual field manages threats farther out.
