How do people know if animals can't see colors?

Answer 1

Some animals see differently than we do. Some animals, like bees, have cones for colors we can't see. Others have adaptations for night vision... You can use physical studies in live animals where you flash patterns and see what the eye responds to...It's done under anesthesia, and you measure the response in the animals brain.

Humans have three sets of visual pigments that allow us to see color. Most mammals only have two sets, so while it's likely that they do perceive some colors, their eyes probably don't process as much color information as ours do.

Cats probably have some color vision. They have the ability to detect lights of different colors. But the number of color-perceiving cells cats possess in their retinas is so low, it's debatable whether or not they're actually using color vision.

In dogs, studies have shown that they do use color vision. But they are red/green colorblind, which means that they can't distinguish between those two colors. Red and green probably appear gray to them.

Horses definitely see colors, but also have trouble distinguishing certain ones. Their troubles come mostly with greens and yellows.

In an experiment conducted, horses were always able to pick out red or blue against a gray background, which researchers varied from light gray to dark gray. But horses could only pick out yellow and green reliably when those colors were brighter than the background, which means the horses were relying on the lightness or darkness of the color, not the color itself.

Hope this helped...

Answer 2

You know when people make all of these statements about animals I just have to wonder how smart the people are. People should be just a tiny bit as smart as animals!!! I've heard all of this gibberish too, such as dogs can't see colors, dogs can't understand anything you say other than their own name and all of the rest of that rubbish. Dogs (and other animals) are so much more advanced intellectually than people that it isn't even funny. If dogs had hands that work like people's hands we probably would be the pets. I'm sure that scientists have done tests that have convinced them that animals can't see colors. If animals had performed those tests on people I wonder what their conclusion would be?

Answer 3

After studying different animal eyes and looking at the humans scientist were able to determine that some animals and insects can infact see color- such as bee's and polar bears. Humans have 3 color receptors in their eyes- when one is missing this can cause colorblindness- more commonly just one or two colors. Because of eye positions between animals and inherited traits passed on from passed generations different animals have adapted and changed to what would best fit them and their natural surroundings.
Some animals may see only black and white because it is easier to tell size and distance this way for them, and some animals may see only certain colors so they can better hunt or track, while some animals may not be able to see well at all.

In humans, the easiest color for our eyes to pick up is Blue- this is because not only does the color blue dilute other colors to make many other's more commonly than most colors, but light and reflections of the color blue pass faster through our color receptors which sends signals to our brain to identify the color.

Answer 4

I think animals probably can see colors. Some animals are very intelligent.

Answer 5

all animal see colors

Answer 6

You test them to find out. Or you infer based on their behaviour, like bees can see infrared I think, which can be inferred based on the way they go after flowers.

As for testing, you show them colours, and get them to pick out the colour from somewhere in exchange for a treat, switch it up a few times and then you find out if they can see colours. I'm sure there's a number of other tests.

Answer 7

in the eye are cones and rods which detect color if they are missing then they can only see in black and white and grey, or so i heard in school

Answer 8

test them by waving a red flag in front of it

Answer 9

I don't know, how do WE know that we aren't daltonic and the world has other colours?