If we didn’t know them enough to know how much trouble they can be, we might think that their 5 highly developed senses make our pets real super-pets: with a “molecular” sense of smell and superfine hearing, even the sight of the dog has nothing to envy to the human one, albeit very different.
So let’s find out if dogs see in the dark: their view is much more incredible and strange than you imagine!
Dog sight: how does he see Fido?
Although the structures of the dog’s eye are similar to ours, there are some important differences between canine and human eyesight.
Let’s start by saying that in both species there are two specialized cells of the eye that are very important for the quality of vision: i coni eh rods.
These neurological cells positioned on the retina they are also known as “photoreceptors”, precisely because they trap light and color shades.
Cones and rods
Cones contribute to color vision and are fewer in dogs than in humans.
I rods instead they serve to improve the performance of the vision of moving objects and of the vision in the darkalso called “scotopica”.
The man has an average of 120 million rods, while the dog “just” 600 million!
But that’s not the only difference!
How does the dog see?
Here are the Main characteristics of the dog’s sight:
- The dog can mainly distinguish two colors: the giallo and the bluthe other colors will appear as shades of brown, black or gray.
- Dogs see in the dark, as do cats
- Dogs are generally “nearsighted,” meaning they have poorer vision over long distances.
- Dogs have one peripheral vision better than ours, which allows him a better field of vision.
So dogs see in the dark, but why? And how do dogs see in the dark?
Do dogs see in the dark?
Yes, dogs can see in the dark much better than us. Their eyesight, as well as that of cats, has evolved to make the most of dim light during times of light transition, i.e. sunrise and sunset.
These times of day were indeed perfect for the wild dog to see prey without being noticed.
For this reason the their sight is more efficient in terms of brightnessbut this comes at the expense of the number of colors they can see and their intensity.
How do dogs see in the dark?
Dogs are able to see in the dark thanks to an eye structure called bright carpetpresent in animals that need one night vision to hunt, like birds and cats.
This layer of fabric allows the dog to make better use of even small amounts of light, as it reflects and amplifies it.
How do dogs see in the dark?
Dogs in the dark see in black and white and with less detail, a bit like watching from a night camera.
As we have said, they are capable of amplifying even one minimum amount of light.
However, a great help in the orientation of the dog when it is in the dark (and in the light) is its very powerful sense of smell.
Curiosities about the sight of the dog
When we take a photo with the flash of someone looking straight into the lens, it can happen that it does the famous “effect Red eyes“, due to the intense light that hits the retina and highlights its blood vessels.
If we tried to do the same in dogs and cats, we would see that those “lights” that have pupils in place of them will not be red, but mainly between yellow, blue and green: this is always due to the presence of the carpet shiny, structure absent in man.
Poor eyesight
Obviously, if your dog suffers from vision problems, night vision will also be blurred. Eye disorders such as cataracts, retinal atrophy and blindness prevent the dog from seeing. However, even in this case it will be possible for the dog to orient itself thanks to its infallible truffle.
As we have seen, therefore, dogs see in the dark: if your friend goes away in the dark, do not be afraid, he will be perfectly able to orient himself!