The SC receives visual, as well as auditory, inputs in its superficial layers, and the deeper layers of the colliculus are connected to many sensorimotor areas of the brain. The colliculus as a whole is thought to help orient the head and eyes toward something seen and heard.
In echolocating bats, the SC has been shown to influence vocalization parameters and ear movements, both orienting components of the bat's biosonar system, thereby assisting in orienting movements.
The comparable area of the mesencephalon of non-mammalian vertebrates is called the optic tectum. In amphibians, reptiles, and fish, the optic tectum is the largest visual processing area, though its function remains largely unknown. It seems to be required for predator/prey discrimination leading to escape or hunting behavior respectively. In contrast, the role of the SC for visual discrimination is less prominent in more complex vertebrates.
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Richard Krauzlis, Dorion Liston & Christopher Carello 'Target selection and the superior colliculus: goals, choices and hypotheses', Vision Research v44 (2004) 1445-1451
Alexander Kustov & David Robinson 'Shared neural control of attentional shifts and eye movements', Nature v384 (1996) 74-77
David Sparks 'Conceptual issues related to the role of the superior colliculus in the control of gaze', Current Opinion in Neurobiology v6 9 (1999) 698-707
Doreen Valentine & Cynthia F. Moss 'Spatially selective auditory responses in the superior colliculus of the echolocating bat', Journal of Neuroscience v17 5 (1997) 1720-1733
