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.
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. Why Reindeer Eyes Change Color with the Seasons: Reindeer Eye Color Mystery Solved Reindeer, also known as caribou in North America, inhabit some of the coldest and darkest parts of our planet. These remarkable creatures face months of near.
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, from the University College London, suggests a reason behind this mysterious seasonal change.
The Arctic can stay perpetually dark for months. Reindeer cope by changing part of their eyes from gold to blue. Of all the eyeballs in Glen Jeffery's office, only a very small minority are his.
"Oh, I've got an office full of eyes," Jeffery, a neuroscientist at University College London, told me. Over Skype, he fished one of his favorites out of an opaque vial: About the size of a. The adaptation helps reindeer locate lichen, their primary food source, against snow-covered landscapes.
Seasonal Eye Color Transformation In a remarkable adaptation to their Arctic habitat, reindeer eyes undergo a striking seasonal transformation from golden in summer to blue in winter. Unlike any other mammal known, these creatures undergo a remarkable transformation: the color of their eyes shifts with the seasons. During the summer, reindeer eyes glow a golden hue, reflecting much of the bright sunlight that bathes the tundra.
But as winter sets in, their eyes turn a deep, mysterious blue. Scientists have known for years that mirror-like tissue in reindeer eyes changes color from a greenish gold in the summer to vivid blue in the winter, a process that is thought to amplify the low. Why do reindeer's eyes change color with the seasons? In this video, Alex Dainis explains why reindeer eyes change color from orange.
Reindeer change the color of a reflective layer in their eyes between summer and winter to deal with months.