The striking pictures will appear in an upcoming edition of National Geographic magazine


From the compound lenses of shrimp to our own mammalian orbs, eyes are one of the most engaging and captivating features in biology.

They act as our gateway to a world of visual sensory information capturing colour, shade, position and movement of objects in the world around us.

A new set of stunning photographs has now captured the huge diversity of different shapes and designs the eye has evolved into in nature, which are featured in the February edition of National Geographic magazine, including eyes from mammals, birds, amphibians and reptiles.

The huge variety of shapes, sizes and types of eyes in mammals, birds, amphibians and lizards have been revealed in a series of close up images revealed in National Geographic. Here, a Gargoyle gecko (Rhacodactylus auriculatus)

Gargoyle Gecko, whose habitat is threatened by deforestation is found only on the southern end of the island of New Caledonia. These creatures were once considered among the rarest lizards in captivity, but are now bred in large numbers and have become standard fare in the pet trade

Speaking to National Geographic, biologist Tom Cronin, from the University of Maryland, explains: 'What is the animal actually seeing? It's impossible to know as it goes into a brain that's very alien to ours, it goes through processes that we don't use when we process visual stimuli.

'The animal does things with that information that we don't do, so it's really really hard to know.'

Eyes have intrigued humans for hundreds, if not thousands of years.

Artists have often struggled to capture them and it is not surprising they are often the focal point of photographs of animals and humans alike.

Yet they have also sparked debate, with some claiming the eye provides proof that life was created by a supreme being through intelligent design, while scientists argue it is the ultimate proof of how evolution can solve a problem in many different ways.

Human (Homo sapiens). Artists have often struggled to capture eyes, and it is not surprising they are often the focal point of photographs of animals and humans alike.

Some claim the eye provides proof that life was created by a supreme being through intelligent design, while scientists argue it is the ultimate proof of how evolution can solve a problem in many different ways

The adult Green tree python (Morelia viridis have yellowish green eyes and the juveniles have white eyes. These creatures are solitary and they spend their life among the branches of trees, only descending to the ground to move between them

A Green tree python resting in typical coiled loop on branch, at the Australia Zoo located in Beerwah, Queensland, Australia. They live in the rainforests, bushes and shrubs of New Guinea, its surrounding islands and the very north of Australia

Scarlet macaw (Ara macao). The adult male and female scarlet macaw are very similar in colour, while the younger ones have a shorter tails and the grey-brown rather than yellow eyes like in this picture

Pictured is the macaw, which has large, powerful beaks that easily crack nuts and seeds, while their dry, scaly tongues have a bone inside them that makes them an effective tool for tapping into fruits. The pictures appear in the latest issue of National Geographic.

The eye of a Cuban rock iguana (Cyclura nubile nubila) offers a window into a fundamental truth of evolution: Form follows necessity. Four types of cone cells in this diurnal creature’s retina provide excellent daytime color vision. A simpler third eye on top of the lizard’s head senses light and helps regulate body temperature

Pictures is the Cuban Rock iguana, a species of lizard of the iguana family. It is the largest of the West Indian rock iguanas, one of the most endangered groups of lizards

Southern ground-hornbill (Bucorvus leadbeateri). The most defined features of these large African-dwelling birds are their human-like eyes and the long, dark and curly lashes that are actually feathers

A portrait of a Southern Ground Hornbill, Kruger National Park, Limpopo Province, South Africa. The Southern Ground Hornbill gets its name from living in southern Africa and spending most of its time on the ground. A big male may be 129 cm (51 in) long and weigh up to 6.2 kg (13.6 lbs), while the females are a bit smaller

Mossy leaf-tailed gecko (Uroplatus sikorae) are limited in how they can alter the pattern and colour of their bodies. They can either be completely tan or tan with the single black strip peering out behind its eyes

A mossy leaf-tailed gecko, Uroplatus sikorae, at the Omaha Zoo. Leaf-tailed geckos can range in size from just 10cm to more than 30cm in length depending on the species.

Blue-eyed black lemur (Eulemur flavifrons). Both males and females have blue eyes and is the only primate to have blue eyes, other than humans. The eyes can range in color from shocking electric blue, a light sky-blue, or a softer gray-blue

Blue-eyed black lemur in a tree located in Madagascar. These creatures eat ripe fruit, leaves, flowers and occasionally insects. Females are dominant as in most lemur species, and there are usually more males than females in each social group

Red-eyed tree frog (Agalychnis callidryas) sleeps by day stuck to leaf-bottoms with their eyes closed and body markings covered. When disturbed, they flash their bulging red eyes and reveal their huge, webbed orange feet and bright blue-and-yellow flanks