Have you ever wondered how small animals can avoid incoming danger so quickly? According to a new study from researchers at Trinity College Dublin, or TCD in Ireland also working with researchers from the University of St Andrews, smaller animals experience time like it is passing in slow motion.

Have you ever wondered how small animals can avoid incoming danger so quickly?

According to a new study from researchers as Trinity College Dublin, or TCD in Ireland also working with researchers from the University of St Andrews in Scotland, smaller animals experience time like it is passing in slow motion.

How animals visually experience movement translates to how they perceive time.

Co-author of the study Andrew Jackson from TCD explained: “From a human perspective, our ability to process visual information limits our ability to drive cars or fly planes any faster than we currently do in Formula 1, where these guys are pushing the limits of what is humanly possible.”

Researchers looked at data from measurements of how different animal’s eyes process light and how they perceive time.

When they put that information on a graph next to the physical size of the animals, they found a significant correlation.

Small animals like birds and insects can see more movement in a second than larger animals, which equips them to flee from predators.

The opposite is also true, as larger animals were found to have slower visual processing.