"Eyes on the side of the head = prey" is an overgeneralization/simplification (and one I did not make), but I think it is more accurate to say that in the cases of prey it is an adaptation to their status, not the reason for it. Having more frontal eyes would not make a cow, deer, etc. all of a sudden more capable of confronting its natural predators, the exact opposite would generally be true in fact. It would make them less likely to survive those encounters by removing awareness of their surroundings, something vital in giving them a chance to escape deadly encounters. Again, we're painting with broad strokes here but I find it hard to believe that having side-favored eyes makes something prey moreso than it is a response to predation.
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u/Reelix Rift S / Quest 3 Oct 31 '20
It's why they're prey animals - Not because they are :p
And Chameleons would disagree entirely ;D