Animal Vision in the Dark


Night vision is the ability to see in the dark.  Humans have poor night vision when compared to certain animals.  This is because nocturnal or night animals have eyes that contain more light receptors than human eyes do.  This makes them in a better position to detect and process light.  Besides, nocturnal animals have larger eyes,  thus allowing them to receive more ambient light.  They also have a reflective membrane, known as the tapetum, that collects and re-emits any available light back to the retina.  This increases the light available to the photo-receptors, and helps to improve vision in low-light conditions.


Nocturnal animals include carnivores that hunt for prey during the night, and deep sea animals.

Adapted from Focus Magazine: Issue 226 March 2011

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Owl
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Slender Loris
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