Can Cats See in the Dark
Cats have been domesticated for more than 12.000 years. But no one even is able to understand the nature of cats! One of these mysterious things about cats is their ability to see in the complete darkness. Can cats really see in the dark? And how well is their night vision if they can?!
Can Cats See in the Dark?
They don’t exactly have night vision, but they can see great in low light. Furthermore, they have large pupils and corneas (about 50% larger than the ones of humans) which makes their vision in the dark better after catching more light, according to American Veterinarian.
The truth is that humans’ homes always have a little light as it is very hard to make them in complete darkness. In this case, cats can see, but their owners think that their cats can see in the dark, which is not right! However, cats usually hunt at dawn and dusk as they’re crepuscular creatures. They choose this time as they know that this is the active time of many other animals.
Evolution of Cat Night Vision
The main info about cats is to be ambush predators as they have vertically slit pupils, according to some researchers at the University of California, Berkeley. Furthermore, this type of animals is active during the night and day.
The scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, also found that animals with round pupils tend to be higher to the ground than animals with slit pupils. However, the idea is that pet cats do not have to hunt very hard to get their meals in comparison with the other cats on the streets or so. The truth is that having vertical split pupils give cats an advantage by helping them estimate how far away their prey is. This advantage does not exist in lions and tigers.
Five facts about cats’ eyes:
- The peripheral vision of cats is great
- Cats are mid-sighted
- They can see any movement even if it is fast as they have very sensitive eyes to movement.
- Cats are blind to green and red colors.
- Cats can see very good at the night
In conclusion, we can see that cats can’t see in the complete dark just like humans, but their ability to see in the dark is great. However, the main reason for this is that they have wide eyes that reflect more light even if it is very low.
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