What Type of Vision Do Cockroaches Have?
WouterThe cockroach has a wide range of sense organs. Their eyes are compound and are made up of thousands of ommatidia, which form an image. Their eyes have a higher sensitivity than human eyes but a lower resolution. These eyes allow the cockroach to see well during the day and at night.
It was previously thought that cockroaches only had vision in near-darkness, but research has demonstrated that the insects are able to see in dim light conditions as well. To make their eyes work in low-light conditions, roaches use their sensory organs to pool information from thousands of photoreceptors. The nerve cells then sum these signals and use them to see.
Cockroaches have color vision, but unlike humans, they do not have the ability to distinguish between red and green. This is due to their evolutionary adaptations to a color-based diet. They have evolved to detect the yellow shade of food to be able to feed on it. In addition to this, cockroaches can perceive movement thanks to the tiny hairs on their legs and antennae. The cockroach can also detect the slightest touches and will move if they feel them.
The compound eye is a special kind of insect vision. Its ommatidia turn on and off as objects move. This flicker effect helps it respond to moving objects more readily than non-moving objects. Honeybees also have this type of vision.
