Content
- Cat's eye: where does the glow come from
- Cat's eye: what is tapetum lucidum
- Cat's Eye: Brightness of Distinct Colors
- Cat's eye and the flash of photos
The eyes of many predators in the animal kingdom glow in the dark and your cat's is no exception. Yes, your furry sweet friend, the same one with the paw pads, also inherited this ability from their larger feline ancestors and you might be wondering why cats' eyes glow in the dark.
Finding a cat with glowing eyes in the middle of the night can be frightening and this quality has been the subject of myth and legend since ancient Egyptian times. do you want to find out about Why does a cat's eye glow in the dark? Don't miss this PeritoAnimal article!
Cat's eye: where does the glow come from
The eye of cats is very similar to the eyes of humans. To understand where the glow comes from, we basically need to review how the vision process occurs in cats:
THE light it is the most important element because it reflects on the objects that are around and this information crosses the cornea of the cat's eye. Once there, it goes through the iris and then the pupil, which increases or reduces its own size according to the amount of light that exists in the environment (the more light, the smaller the pupil size, while the its dimensions in the presence of low light).
Subsequently, the light reflection follows its course to the lens, which is responsible for focusing the object and then passes to the retina, which is in charge of sending information to the brain about what the eye has perceived. When this information reaches the brain, the subject becomes aware of what he sees. The entire process, of course, takes place in a fraction of a second.
This happens in exactly the same way in both humans and cats, except that the cat's eye has an additional structure, called tapetum lucidum, which is responsible for why cats' eyes glow in the dark.
Cat's eye: what is tapetum lucidum
Is membrane located at the back of the cat's eye, responsible for reflecting light (therefore, the perceived image) on the retina, providing greater opportunity to capture even the smallest ray of light present in the environment. So, the ability to see is improved. In the dark, the cat needs to capture as much light as possible so that its pupils, which remain as slits in bright areas, expand to almost the outer size of its eye, to retain any traces of light present in the environment.
By reflecting light, the tapetum lucidummakes the cat's eyes sparkle, we understand that this glow is just the product of the light itself that the cat's eye was able to perceive on the outside, the membrane multiplies that amount of light up to fifty times. This is the answer to why cats' eyes glow in the dark and how they can see in the dark much better than humans, which is why most animals become prey. Because of this, cats and their larger relatives have become great night hunters.
It is important to clarify that cats cannot see in absolute darkness, since the process explained above only occurs when there is some light reflection, even if it is very little. On occasions when this condition is not met, felines use their other senses, also acute, to orient themselves and know what is happening around them.
See too: Why do cats have different colored eyes?
Cat's Eye: Brightness of Distinct Colors
That's right, not all cats shine their eyes in the same shade and this has to do with the composition of the tapetum lucidum, that contains riboflavin and zinc. According to the smaller or larger amount of these elements, the color will be one or the other.
In addition, the breed and the physical characteristics of the feline also influence, that is, it is linked to the phenotype. Thus, although the greenish reflection predominates in many cats, there may be a glow that tends to be reddish, in cats with very light fur and bluish eyes, for example, while others have a yellowish glow.
Confirm more information about how cats behave at night in this article by PeritoAnimal.
Cat's eye and the flash of photos
Now that you know all this, you understand why your cat appears with that terrible gleam in his eyes when he takes a picture. In fact, we recommend that you avoid taking flash photos of your cat, because this sudden glare can be quite uncomfortable for the animal, and it is difficult to get a result that does not involve glowing eyes. Discover in Animal Expert the tips and tricks for photographing cats.
However, if you can't resist and want a photo where your cat comes out well, we recommend focusing on the cat from below or trying the burst mode, in which the flash will point once and the rest will be light shots, but without the flash direct.
Also check: Why do cats have a rough tongue?