How Well Do Rats See?
WouterRats have good eyesight, but the term good eyesight is subjective. Rats don’t have the razor sharp eyesight of birds of prey, but they have enough eyesight for most of their daily activities. They have two types of color cones in their retinas, which detect blue ultraviolet light and shades of green. But unlike birds of prey, rats are red-green colorblind, which means they see most shades of red as just another dark shade. This limited vision makes it difficult to judge the depth of a scene.
Rats also have binocular vision, or two fields of vision. These two fields of vision allow them to quickly scan for predators, but they can’t see well in complete darkness. That’s okay, though, because they have a number of other senses that compensate for their lack of night vision.
Although rats can’t see far ahead, they do see color, and they can use sound to help them find food. They also have excellent hearing. Humans can hear up to 20 kHz, but rats have an average hearing range of 80 to 90 kHz. This allows them to detect predators and detect incoming food from a distance.
Rats also have extremely sensitive whiskers that help them navigate at night. Their whiskers act like fingers, allowing them to feel the floor and other things around them. In unfamiliar environments, they move very slowly. When they’re in familiar environments, they move quickly.
