2006-09-23 18:52:45 · 17 answers · asked by Professor Armitage 7 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Zoology
Cats, like many nocturnal animals can see very well in very low light darkness,,,, but in total darkness, they have to rely on their hearing and feeling (their wiskers mainly) to judge what is around them,, they are unable to see in total darkness.
Tapetum lucidum is a Latin term that literally means, carpet or tapestry of light. It’s a rare person that hasn’t seen eyeshine in animals but few know why they’re seeing it. This reflective tissue in the eye increases an eyes ability to gather light in minimal light conditions. Although much of the detail may be lost, an animal like a deer or a Raccoon can easily navigate in what seems to humans as “total darkness” without any problem. In fact, cats need only 1/6 as much light as we do to see at night. As the poster points out, no animal can see in total darkness but most nighttime situations have at least “some” light available.
Many mammals have a tapetum lucidum but not the great apes (so that means us too!). Humans do have a wee bit of reflective tissue in their eyes and this is best demonstrated when you see a photograph of someone with “red eye”. However, human eyes are adapted for seeing in daylight and we do not have this specialized adaptation for nighttime vision.
As light passes into and through an eye, various layers of the eye filter the light and causes different colors to be seen in the eyeshine of different animals. So you may see a deep red in a bear’s eyeshine or an orange-yellow in a deer’s glow, a cat may show a greenish tint - eyeshine colors do vary. A few other animals that exhibit eyeshine include sharks, many bony fishes, Alligators, and skunks.
2006-09-23 19:33:04 · answer #1 · answered by steelmadison 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
The answer is no. Cats,owls, and other animals that have keen night vision needs just a little light to see. No animals can see in total darkness. Instead animals will use other senses such as hearing and smell to find there way. Barn owls, for example, will use their keen sense of hearing to find prey when hunting in total darkness. Studies show that they can locate prey in total darkness using hearing alone. The answer to your question is no. As said before, animals that have keen night vision needs some light to see.
2006-09-23 19:59:36 · answer #2 · answered by megatron 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
No, no animal can see in complete darkness... nocturnal animals can see in very dark conditions by dilating the pupils of thier eyes to capture the little light there is(from the moon, stars, artificial lights etc). Animals that live in total darkness(caves, deep sea, etc) with absolutely no light eventually lose thier eyes altogether because it is impossible for eyes to function in the absence of even a minimal amount of light(due to the way eyes are designed), and it would be pointless to have them. Many cave dwelling creatures have absolutely no eyes but instead have adapted different methods for sensing the world around them.
Excerpt from Wikipedia.... (An eye is an organ of vision that detects light. Different kinds of light-sensitive organs are found in a variety of organisms.)
Without any light at all, eyes are useless....
2006-09-24 15:21:37 · answer #3 · answered by Kelly + Eternal Universal Energy 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Big cats like lions and cheetahs can see in little moonlight. Their pupils can dilate.
In total darkness would be those animals that have strong sense of smell- such as hyenas, wild dogs. They don't need to see, but can picture where the prey is by their noses! Owls need some light as well.
2006-09-23 19:56:45 · answer #4 · answered by Fenrispro 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Bats, but I'm not sure they count because they're not really "seeing" in the dark. They're using sonar to know if they're about to fly into a wall.
For most animals, though, as long as there's some form of light coming from somewhere (starlight, moonlight, etc.) they'll be able to see.
2006-09-23 18:57:01 · answer #5 · answered by Lizzie 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
That depends on what you mean by "seeing". Bats can find their way around in total darkness- by echolocation, or bouncing sound waves off of objects in front of them. Creatures living in deep caves, can find their way around by touch... And even blind people can "see" in total darkness- if you look at it from their standpoint. So "seeing" is a relative term.
2006-09-23 19:07:43 · answer #6 · answered by Joseph, II 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes
2006-09-24 01:00:26 · answer #7 · answered by bprice215 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
NO
total darkness means no light at all. BUT!!!
Bats "see" through the pulse of the ultrasonic voices that it produces.
2006-09-23 22:06:50 · answer #8 · answered by Papilio paris 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
If darkness refers to the spectrum visible to us, the answer is YES.
If total darkness refers to the complete light spectrum then the answer is NO.
2006-09-23 23:47:03 · answer #9 · answered by NaughtyBoy 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
There are some fish that make their own light, so that might count. Snakes can see heat.
2006-09-23 19:02:08 · answer #10 · answered by gregory_dittman 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋