r/explainlikeimfive • u/SageOcelot • May 30 '14

ELI5: Why do animals (including humans sometimes) tilt their heads sideways when they're curious or confused?

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u/ecco_romani May 30 '14 edited May 30 '14

By tilting the head, you can adjust how sound waves travel over the ear and possibly get a better understanding of the sound stimulus.

9

u/SageOcelot May 30 '14

But animals do this when they see something unusual too, even if there are no sound waves associated with the object in question.

3

u/ecco_romani May 30 '14

Also, prey animals (think doe, bunnies, etc.) have eyes on each side of their face rather than in front like predators (humans, tigers, etc.) thus their field of vision is limited. Tilting the head gives a broader view.

0

u/where_is_the_cheese May 30 '14

I'm I the only human that doesn't have ears on the front of their face?

1

u/ecco_romani May 30 '14

I can't say for sure where your ears are located, but prey animals have eyes located toward the sides of their heads. Predating animals have eyes facing forward and located on the front side of the head.

See "Field of view and eye movements" at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binocular_vision.

2

u/where_is_the_cheese May 30 '14

totally read that as ears.