Are Reindeer Color Blind
One of the most fascinating aspects of reindeer vision is their seasonally changing eye color. In summer, their tapetum lucidum - the reflective layer behind the retina - appears golden-yellow, similar to many other mammals. "Are reindeer colour blind?" The simple answer is no.
Reindeer, like other species of deer, are not colour blind, although they do see the world in a different way to us humans. How does Baffin see the world? If you take a look at the visible spectrum below, reindeer can only see the colours at one end of it. The seasonal eye color change in reindeer is unique among mammals, but plenty of other creatures display eye adaptations for different light environments.
The Unique Reason Reindeer Change Their Eye Color - YouTube
For instance, cats and dogs have tapeta that boost night vision year-round, but they don't alter color. Do reindeer's eyes really change color? If so, why, and how does this adaptation actually work in the wild? The team used spectral data from the lichen and light filters that were made to mimic reindeer vision and found that the plants may look like dark patches against a bright landscape to the reindeer. In the song and a 1964 animated movie, Rudolph's glowing red nose gives Santa's other reindeer a beacon to follow so that they can make it through the fog and deliver gifts to good children.
But reindeers' color vision doesn't work that way, said Dr. Martin Stevens of the Centre for Ecology and Conservation. Reindeer use a special form of night vision to detect food sources, a new study has revealed.
Winter Magic: The Color-Changing Eyes of Reindeer for Enhanced Night Vision! ️👁️ - YouTube
Researchers from the University of St Andrews teamed up with Dartmouth College, New Hampshire, US, in. But for creatures like reindeer and seals, that extra bit of super. Instead, the tapetum lucidum enhances their vision by reflecting light that passes through the retina, a feature crucial for their survival in the prolonged periods of darkness during winter.
Scientific studies on reindeer ocular anatomy have consistently shown that the color of their eyes remains constant throughout the year. Red-green color blindness is the most common variety of color deficiency in humans. It happens to people who can't see shades of red and green the same way as people with normal color perception do.
Reindeer Eyes Completely Change Colors in Winter - The Atlantic
Most of us experience color about the same way: Our eyes capture light in certain wavelengths. Then, the brain interprets these waves as shades of red, green and blue. But a few people have.
