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Japanese rice fish vision: the science and the numbers

Oryzias latipes · order Beloniformes · Fish: all the numbers

The Japanese rice fish has 7 colour channels, including ultraviolet.[1][2][3] Its sharpest vision resolves 0.563 cycles per degree, against 63.75 for people in this dataset.[8] The Japanese rice fish stops seeing flicker at 37.2 Hz, against 60 Hz for people.[29]

See it on your photoBack to How does the Japanese rice fish see?
  • 7colour receptor classesMeasured
  • 0.563cycles per degree (sharpness)Measured
  • 37.2hertz flicker fusion (motion)Measured

The Japanese rice fish (Oryzias latipes) is a fish in the order Beloniformes. Its eyes belong to the vision type Shallow-water fish tetrachromat: four cone types including ultraviolet and far red. Measured in this species: colour, sharpness and motion (flicker fusion). Measured core: measured values on at least 3 of the 6 dials.

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 Japanese rice fish sees: colour receptors

Japanese rice fish colour receptor peaks, 300 to 700 nmJapanese rice fish: 7 receptor peaks at 356, 405, 439, 452, 493, 516, 562 nm; you: 3 at 421.5, 532, 558.4 nm. ultraviolet300400500600700
Japanese rice fish: 356, 405, 439, 452, 493, 516, 562 nmPeople: 421.5, 532, 558.4 nmWavelength in nanometres

What stands out

  • It has 7 colour receptor classes, including ultraviolet; people have 3.
  • Its sharpest vision resolves 0.563 cycles per degree: the finest stripe pattern it can tell apart from grey.
  • It stops seeing flicker at 37.2 Hz, against 60 Hz for people in this dataset, so fast motion looks choppier to it.[30][31]

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 Japanese rice fish (Oryzias latipes), catalogue-v1
DialValueEvidenceSourcesPeople
ColourColour receptors
7 receptor classes: 356 nm (UVS), 405 nm (VS/SWS (violet)), 439 nm (VS/SWS (violet)), 452 nm (SWS (blue)), 493 nm (MWS (green)), 516 nm (MWS (green)), 562 nm (LWS (long))
measured in this species
Measured[1][2][3]Colour receptors: 3 receptor classes: 421.5 nm (VS/SWS (violet)), 532 nm (MWS (green)), 558.4 nm (LWS (long)) Measured (not re-verified)[4][5][6][7]
Ultraviolet
yes: at least one receptor peaks in the ultraviolet		Measured
SharpnessAcuity
0.563 cycles per degree
median of 1 behavioural rows (method priority rule); acuity_cpd: larval/juvenile rows (adult rows used) set aside (labelled alternative: 1.0)
Measured[8]Acuity: 63.75 cycles per degree Measured[9][10]
Field of viewBinocular overlap
32.85°
group default: median of tier-A values in vision type the "Shallow-water fish tetrachromat" type within phylum Chordata (2 species: Danio rerio, Notemigonus crysoleucas)
Group default[11]Binocular overlap: 122.5° Measured[12][13]
Total field of view: 200° Measured (not re-verified)[14]
Blind area behind the head: 160° Derived[14]
Eye placement: frontal Derived[12][13]
Sharp zones (foveas)Number of foveas
0
group default: mode of tier-A values in vision type the "Shallow-water fish tetrachromat" type within phylum Chordata (2 species: Toxotes jaculatrix, Anableps anableps)
Group default[15][16]Number of foveas: 1 Measured[17]
Fovea type: fovea Measured[17]
Fovea type
ventrotemporal area (high rgc density)		Group default[15][16]
Night visionActivity pattern
diurnal
group default: mode of tier-A values in vision type the "Shallow-water fish tetrachromat" type within phylum Chordata (224 species: Amphiprion ocellaris, Acanthochromis polyacanthus, Acanthurus bahianus, Acanthurus…
Group default[18][19]Activity pattern: diurnal Measured (not re-verified)[20][21][22][4][23][24][25][19]
Pupil shape: vertical Group default[26][27]
Reflective layer (tapetum): no Measured[28]
Rods vs cones: cone-dominated Derived[20][21][22][4][23][24][25][19]
Rods vs cones
cone-dominated		Group default[18][19]
Motion (flicker fusion)Flicker fusion frequency
37.2 Hz
median of 1 rows (no bright-light flag) (behavioural/whole-eye ERG rows; all rows: [37.2]); cff_hz: only larval/juvenile rows exist (larval value used as a labelled fallback)
Measured[29]Flicker fusion frequency: 60 Hz Measured[30][31]

All fish side by side: Fish: every measurement. Method: how we know what animals see.

Sources

  1. Frazer et al. 2024
  2. Into the blue: Gene duplication and… 2009
  3. Laver et al. 2011
  4. Longcore 2023
  5. Kirwan
  6. Müller et al. 2009
  7. Thermal Activation and Photoactivation of Visual… 2004
  8. Caves et al. 2017
  9. Kirk et al. 2004
  10. Veilleux et al. 2014
  11. Pita et al. 2015
  12. Heesy 2004
  13. Heffner et al. 1992
  14. Campbell & Green 1965
  15. Schwab et al. 2001
  16. Temple et al. 2010
  17. Kopania et al. 2025
  18. Froese et al.
  19. Moura et al. 2024
  20. Anderson et al. 2017
  21. Borges et al. 2018
  22. Wilman et al. 2014
  23. Maor et al. 2017
  24. Jones et al. 2009
  25. Schmitz et al. 2011
  26. Banks et al. 2015
  27. Cervino et al. 2021
  28. Guareschi et al. 2025
  29. Lafitte et al. 2022
  30. Healy et al. 2013
  31. 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.