Morphological Characteristics of Retinal Ganglion Cells in the Retinas of Giant Pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca)

Abstract

Vision plays a crucial role in the survival of animals, and the visual system has particularly selectively evolved in response to the visual environment, ecological niche, and species habitats in vertebrate species. To date, a horizontal streak of retinal ganglion cell (RGC) distribution pattern is observed across mammal species. Here, we report that the giant panda's vertically oriented visual streak, combined with current evidence of the animal's forward-placed eyes, ocular structure, and retinal neural topographic distribution patterns, presents the emergence of a well-adapted binocular visual system. Our results suggest that the giant panda may use a unique way to processing binocular visual information. Results of mathematical simulation are in favor of this hypothesis. The topographic distribution properties of RGCs reported here could be essential for understanding the visual adaptation and evolution of this living fossil.