Can Rats See in the Dark?
WouterThe question of whether rats see in the dark has been controversial in animal studies, but this new study aims to address it. Its results will be of great interest to the vision research community. Over the past decade, rodents have become a prominent model species for studies on vision. This study also offers important insights into rodent housing.
Rats have two classes of cone cells that detect blue ultraviolet light. This helps them to recognize their surroundings. They also have a wide field of vision, but their depth perception is poor. Rats have a motion parallax, which involves head movements up and down, in order to approximate depth.
Although rats cannot see very well after dark, they can navigate the environment with relative ease. Rats are nocturnal creatures, meaning they are most active at night. Their vision is poor during the day, so they compensate by using their whiskers to navigate. In addition to this, rats also have the ability to sense smell, which helps them to identify food sources.
Rats’ ability to see in the dark may have evolved due to their ability to perceive ultraviolet light. This adaptation is crucial for rats to see the urine marks of other rats, which helps them stick to their territory. It is also useful for identifying their territory, so that they can protect it from predators.
