Is our inability to see in the dark related to the fact that we prefer daytime for all our regular activities?

Question

Why can't we see in the dark like other creatures of the dark do?

I know the reason lies in the special layer found in cats' eyes called tapetum lucidum which acts like mirror.

But, what led to the formation of this layer? Did it come as an adaptation to living in the dark?

Or, were they primarily "designed" to live and hunt in the dark?

If our cavemen ancestors weren't afraid of the dark and the hunting cats; and had they ventured in the dark more often.... Would it have helped us to gain a better "night vision"?

Why must we sleep at nights? I guess, in the earlier times it was because there was a danger of the big cats and wolves... Now what?

I hope you enjoy answering... please do!

(I had to "dumb down" the title of this question due to Answers' character limit. Extremely sorry for that.)

Answer 1

We are diurnal because of the primate re-evolution of color vision.

If you're a mammal you can have good color vision or you can see well in the dark, you can't do both.To see in color light receptor cells are needed that can detect at least three different and distinct wavelengths.

Mammals lost some of the genes for the four receptor cell type system that reptiles and birds have, instead having only two types of color receptors. For most mammals day and night is just the difference between a lighter and darker monotone image. Primates gained an ad hoc third receptor type that leads to our kind of color vision, which while better at picking out colors has kicked us primates on a path away from excellent night vision.

The tapetum lucidum is an adaptation related to the badly 'designed' vertebrate eye. The photo receptive layer is obscured by the nerves and capillaries that relay the impulses of, and keep the photo receptors alive. Another ad hoc solution, it bounces light back through the photo receptors that they missed in passing, giving them a second chance at scoring a nerve impulse. Most land vertibrates probably have it to some extent, it's where the 'red eye' in pictures comes from.

Thickening it would be easly enough, but to become really good at night vision (with the naked eye) we'd probably compromise our ability to see in color. Most night hunting mammals see the daytime world in muddy yellow and blue pastels largely devoid of distinctions between red and green.

It's been suggested that red green color blindness in humans became more commonplace because it confered an advantage in defeating cammoflage. Maybe it helps with night vision as well?

Answer 2

To understand the abilities of any species and its development you have to understand the prey / predator of that species.

To match the antelope, the cheetah developed speed and hence all the muscles and works.

To hunt them when they least expect, the big cats developed night vision or seeing in darkness and all the works.

Man on the other hand was always on the top of the food chain and had no difficulty hunting food in the morning and add to the fact he was an omnivore and hence daytime was the best to find the vegetables/leaves.

Unlike other animals, man is also capable of seeing co lours and obviously it suited in daylight than in the nights...

All these facts added up to make man work during day and since ANY living thing needs to take rest, he rested in the night. And evolution ensured that we couldn't see in the dark as much as we couldn't hear below/beyond a particular frequency.

.:Fishie:.

Answer 3

Obviously nocturnal animals have a need to see better in the dark. The first mamals were nocturnal, as it helped them avoid the largest predetors of the time which were reptilian and operated during the daytime.
As mamals became more dominant (after the end cretatious mass extinctsion) they began to fill ecological niches previously occupied by other species. For example if the animals that prey on a species are noctornal, said species would profit from being active in the daytime insteat to avoid them. Then some of the preying animals are likely to "switch" to daytime activity.
Animals that are active during the day do not need to see That well in the dark, so their ability to do so will decrease in time. Our distant ancestors had already lost it, and so our more recent ancestors were not likely to regain better night vision simply by venturing out more ofthen at night. Fear of predators is only one of the reasons why they didn't - there were other predetors that had to be avoided during the day as well. Rather they didn't venture out at night Because they couldn't see well and had no means of lighting their path.

Answer 4

No.... It's Simply The Way The Creator Made Us To Be.
We Were Designed To Be Active In The Light Of Day.
We PREFER To Be Active At Night For Some Activities To Be Sure ~ However This Is A Matter Of Choice ~ Not Design.

Answer 5

All I can say is that I am a little more sensitive to sunlight due to the fact that my eyes are a very light color and reflect more sunlight and also the diameter of my pupils are a little larger. So I guess I can see better in the dark than some. Although I don't live in the dark so maybe you can cross that off your list for adaptation. I am a night person though!

Answer 6

Good question, indeed which came first the chicken or the egg.

As I see it, evolution occurs when environmental pressures force a population into a niche, such that those who thrive under these new stresses will survive and yadda yadda.

Evolution does not just take one path however, a prime example being aquatic mammals who in returning to the sea readopted those attributes analagous to those of other swimming fishes and the like. Same for penguins and other waterfowl.

In cases like Darwin's/Galapagos finches, different niches led to different species - and so I think this example suits your query best. Environmental pressures led birds to compete for food and so those with larger beaks could crack the seeds on the ground, others fed in trees, etc.

I recall being amazed to learn of the pygmy giraffe, which is a dark colored mini giraffe that lives UNDER the trees. And being likewise totally disturbed to see capybaras, which are mongo huge guinea pigs, and I hate the little ones enough!

So kinda of like a balloon being squeezed, populations can diverge on the basis of many factors, and thus in time new species emerge. (As did you, I am offering background for other readers.)

In theory then, people could have adapted night vision too, or as you pose, which came first the eyes or the behavior. I would say that as we are diurnal by nature, our species was capable of thriving then and stayed that way. Had perhaps daytime predators really kept us "in the dark" we might have evolved with those big goofy eyes of nighttime mammals or even some other adaptation to better navigate and hunt in the night.

Considering that we evolved to walk, it makes sense to consider we were very well established at daytime living by then (and party all night lol), otherwise night vision would have most certainly had to preclude our locomotion.

Our sense of smell lacking most of all, and hearing also quite dim by animal species (best suited for our vocal ranges), it seems we were very chill with how we turned out and so remained the way we've obviously turned out.

In fact, I see our need for eyewear as further evidence our species really doesn't need to see detail as much as just get a sense of orientation (what IS 20/20 really, like any "norm"), and so I consider this "de-evolution" part of our future inheritance.

Had we needed to predate (hunt) by sight or smell we'd still select for these traits. Now we select for people who can sit in office chairs all day and eat donuts.

Answer 7

It is usually a matter of choice. Now I agree with Eternity about the application of Lamarck's theory. That is really a good example in terms of evolution. .

But things have evolved, and nowadays night life is becoming more active. And no, it isn't really necessary that we must get some sleep at night, because like I said, it is only a matter of choice.

Answer 8

Well, there are many things that determine our habits. For some people [ people like me] like to work in the dark.

But then again Lamark's theory of evolution can be applied. Yes, we lack proper night vision because people are used to sleep in the dark for ages.

There is no such thing as a necessity to sleep at night. It has become a regular convention that people have made it a habit to sleep at night. Otherwise there is no special reason toward that.

I hope this answers your question
Good luck :)

Answer 9

Probably part of the reason our ancestors didn't go out after dark was that the big predators are mostly nocturnal and it would be safer to shelter yourself while they were hunting.

Answer 10

no this is not the case
the inability to see in dark can be a disease
but if u mean in full dark than obviously no one can c but as compared to day time in little dark than only diseased person cannot c all others can