Ocular physiology of bullfighting

What truly impresses is in the eyes of the bulls: "The pythons are not bullied, the eyes are fired."

In this way bullfighting refers to ridding the pythons and dominating that look. That is why it is fundamental to know it, to try to understand it. And perhaps that is why many theories related to the gaze of the bull, their visual abilities and the ways in which the bullfighter takes advantage of them recur repeatedly.

In the history of humanity, there have always been many rites and myths designed exclusively to instill courage and give that necessary security to those who were going to face life tests. We see it and we know it through many manifestations, prehistoric art, paintings of warriors, amulets, harangues, prayers ...

Some approximations from geometry
In fact if we accept, and do not have why, geometric explanations about the vision of the bull that Professor Martín Roldán does, the placement of the bull's eyes allows him to have a large field of uniocular vision of 115º in each of his laterals and a small angle of binocular vision of 20º in its frontal area. Effectively there is a frontal cone blind to vision.

But if we draw its dimensions we realize that its vertex is located around 1.15m from the bull's forehead. And its surface in the horizontal plane is only 0.26 m2. Impossible to hide in there.

If we locate in this scheme the space that would occupy the figure of the bullfighter at different distances from the face of the bull, we will realize that wherever the bullfighter is placed is always at least partially within one of the fields of vision of the bull.

Centered and at the very short distance of 0.50 m from the face of the bull, the surface of the bullfighter invades the uniocular vision zones in more than half of its surface. In effect, the bullfighter can not be placed in the area of visual exclusion, except in profile position and rubbing with the thighs of the bullfighter the animal's head. Maybe the bulls could only see the crutch on the luck of the pendulum? Only maybe. As we move the bullfighter away from the face of the bull this area of immunity disappears completely and at a distance of 2.15 m (two and a half steps) the bullfighter will cite the bull having been completely within the area in which the bull has a complete binocular vision.

But it is important to observe from a lateral point of view this situation to complete this geometric approach to the vision of the bull. Starting from the observations of Professor Martín Roldán, the vision of the bull in the vertical plane offers a blind frontal zone and therefore a space for the bullfighter's immunity.

With the bullfighter located at 1.15 m, point that belongs to the vertex of the blind cone of vision of the bull explained in the horizontal schemes, we realize that at that point, the bull sees the entire figure of the bullfighter and that If you move your head in the horizontal plane you can do a side sweep and see it with any of your eyes. If we move the figure of the bullfighter back to place it at the distance of 2.15 m where we saw that the bull has a complete binocular vision, we appreciate that in the vertical plane the vision he has of the bullfighter is total.It draws attention, approximately two and a half steps, the ideal distance to get hit the onslaught and that the animal has what they call "place to ram". But it turns out that if this was worth to quote and place, it is completely descabala when the bull hurts to ram.

Indeed, by rotating the outline of the bull's vision on the cross of the animal, his field of vision is completely disrupted. The animal, if it sees what is in front of it when it eats, although for this, like us, it does not need to see its snouts when eating. But at the time of charging, which is important, his perception has changed and will only see, as we know, the feet or calves of the bullfighter, depending on the distance to which it is located. And, of course, you will always see the crutch dragged. That is why they can move waist, arms, head and shoulders, but woe to whoever moves their feet!...

At the distance of our two and a half steps, the bull humiliated and scratching, will hardly see the feet of the bullfighter, and it would be better to wait until he raises his face so that he can have a more complete vision and can visualize the object, unless we want to run the risk of being surprised and overwhelmed. Is not this done with reservoirs? Either you shorten the distance and you put the crutch in the snout or you wait quietly to raise your face and notice before citing.

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http://tallerdetoros.blogspot.com/2014/01/la-mirada-del-toro.html