Primate Pigmentation

A study by a team of researchers from the National University of Singapore and Nicolaus Copernicus University, Poland – and in collaboration with experts in the study of macaques – has investigated the potential roles of photo-regulation and communication in macaques’ outstandingly diverse eye pigmentation.

The researchers studied nine macaque species, representing all branches of their radiation, across a broad geographical range. Their findings indicate that macaques living closer to the equator tend to have more heavily pigmented eyeballs. This suggests that pigmentation may serve a photoprotective function for the species, shielding their eyes from the intense sunlight in these particular regions.

Read more at The Ophthalmologist