The claim: Photos show reindeer have golden eyes in the summer and blue eyes in the winter Reindeer are often associated with a red nose. It may sound unbelievable, but reindeer eyes change from a blazing gold in the summer to a deep, dark blue in the winter. However, this isn't the kind of color change you might expect, as it usually can't be seen in most photographs.
So, what exactly is happening? Read on to discover why reindeer eyes change color and how this adaptation benefits them in the wild. Reindeer are the only animals known to change eye color in the winter, but the effect isn't so outwardly obvious. Reindeer eyes change color during the winter, from golden to blue, something researchers say helps them to capture more light during the Arctic's dark winter months.
Reindeer have a survival trick unlike any other animal - their eyes actually change color with the seasons. Golden in summer, deep blue in winter, this shift helps them adapt to the Arctic's. Rudolf may have had a glowing red nose, but real Arctic reindeer have eyes that shine a different hue depending on the season - deep blue in the cold, dark winter, and golden in the summer.
For more than a decade, no one could explain the color difference. Now, a study conducted by Glen Jeffery. Reindeer don't have red noses, but their eyes do turn green to blue in the winter.
Scientists are finally figuring out why. Reindeer change the color of a reflective layer in their eyes between summer and winter to deal with months. Why do reindeer's eyes change color with the seasons? In this video, Alex Dainis explains why reindeer eyes change color from orange.
The change isn't easily noticeable in live reindeer, simply strutting about. But the first time Jeffery dissected both summer and winter eyes in his lab and spotted the difference, "I nearly.