Simulating animal visions for the Université Laval in Québec, Canada

[Dr Klaus Schmitt]

I was asked by a member working for their program Jeux Photoniques at the Université Laval in Québec, Canada for a series of images to simulate the vision of different animals. I used images of a Rudbeckia hirta flower Black Eyed Susan - Rudbeckia hirta which I had shot using visible and reflected ultraviolet photography.

1. Humans have trichromatic vision, they see Blue, Green, Red
2. Butterflies see UV, Blue, Green, Red, they are Tetrachromats
3. Bees see UV, Blue, Green, they are Trichomats
4. Dogs are Dichromats, see Blue and Yellow, but also some UV
5. Horses are Dichromats, they see Blue and Yellow, but no UV
6. Bats do not see color, but some are sensitive to UV also

(left to right, top to bottom)

 

[Asher Kelman]

Thanks for this comprehensive set of pictures. I am stunned that birds have no color vision when they have evolved such amazing colored plumage.

Klaus, how is tgst explained in natural selection?

Asher

 

[Jerome Marot]

Most birds have color vision, most of them are even tetrachromatic: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bird_vision

 

[Dr Klaus Schmitt]

Yep, correct, they see similar to butterfies (waterbirds mainly) and are tetratchromats but have not sharp vision but nearly in 360 degrees; predators however see much sharper and are trichromats only but see in a rather narrow anlge only.