How a mouse sees a rainbow: a new video system showed the colorful world through the eyes of animals

American scientist Dr. Hanley and his colleagues have created a video camera system that reproduces moving images of how other creatures see colors. For example, what a spider sitting on a flower might look like to a bee. The resulting videos, which were published as part of a new study, give viewers a rough idea of ​​nature “through the eyes of animals.”

“You can really look at the world in a completely different way and see it differently,” said Dr. Daniel Hanley. He and his colleagues developed a camera that allows you to see the world through the eyes of animals.

“To prove that the system works, I learned things I didn’t know,” says project participant Dr. Vasas, “and I’m an expert in color vision!”

A new video camera created by scientists can capture natural behavior in the real world, showing, for example, how bees might look at each other as they forage or interact. Color cues can change quickly over time and as animals change position, the researchers noted.

A person sees that the sky is azure, but in fact, in a bright, clear sky, ultraviolet light predominates. People can’t see it, but many birds can.

“Their skies will be essentially ultraviolet skies,” said George Mason University sensory ecologist Daniel Hanley.

The human eye contains three types of photoreceptors that allow us to see blue, green and red light. Many animals have many more of them, which means they see the world in their own color palette. A butterfly that appears pale yellow to us may appear to be a completely different “color” to a bird observer.

Many birds have photoreceptors that are sensitive to ultraviolet light, allowing them to see a wider range of colors than humans.

“Their rainbow is wider and extends lower than ours,” said Vera Vasas, a sensory ecologist at the University of Sussex in the UK and author of the new study.

But a mouse sees a rainbow differently than a bird and a person. For her, it consists of two wide bands – green and ultraviolet.

When the male orange-gray butterfly opens its wings, they appear to be an array of colors to birds and other animals that can see ultraviolet light. This phenomenon is inaccessible to the human eye, and the wings of the butterfly will appear orange, yellow and black to him.

The animal world, as scientists note, has not yet been sufficiently studied, and people not only do not know much, but also have no idea. New equipment could allow scientists to better understand how animals communicate and navigate the world.

“Each animal has a unique set of photoreceptors, ranging in sensitivity from ultraviolet to infrared, tailored to their environmental needs. In addition, many animals can detect polarized light. As a result, each animal perceives color differently,” states a study published in PLOS Biology.

The scientists explain that since our human eyes or the current cameras available on the market cannot capture the changes in light that animals are able to see, new equipment could allow for a better understanding of how animals communicate and navigate the world.

Although the video system has not yet reached the market, the scientists emphasize that it was manufactured using conventional cameras and a modular body manufactured on a 3D printer. The software is published as open source, meaning other researchers can use it and develop the technology as needed.