Living things, including our dogs, have evolved over millennia by specializing their organs to adapt and survive in nature.
For the wild ancestors of our beloved four-legged canines, it was important to have good eyesight even in low light, and also to see well at great distances in order to identify small moving prey.
Ma what colors do dogs see?
How does the dog see? Fido’s sight
It is not true that dogs see in black and white, but they can only perceive some colors.
The structure of their eye is similar to ours, but has some differences that are literally “reflected” in the way our 4 legs see and perceive colors.
The nerve cells of the eye, in particular the retina, intervene in the visual mechanism.
The retina it is responsible for the perception of light, thanks to which it is possible to see colors.
It is made up of 2 types of specialized cells:
- i rodswhich detect the amount of light and movement
- i coniwhich differentiate the colors
Humans have 3 cones that allow them to identify a combination of 3 colors: red, blue, and green.
Dogs only have 2 cones, but more rods – the result is that the dog sees fewer colors and sees them less bright than oursbut on the other hand it has a better vision in poorly lit environments or in identifying moving objects.
What colors do dogs see?
Dogs have one dichromatic vision, that is, they can clearly perceive 2 colors: the blu and the giallo, and their nuances. This does not mean that they will see the rest of the world in black and white, but they will perceive the shades of the other colors mainly in shades of gray, black and brown, therefore in a different way from us.
A bit like it happens in color blind people, who do not distinguish blue from yellow or green from red.
Here is what colors dogs see compared to humans:
- Blue and purple = Blu
- Yellow, orange and green = Giallo
- Rosso = Gray, brown or black
In recognizing objects of colors that appear similar to him, however, the dog relies more on his incredible sense of smell to identify the desired object.
What is the difference between how people and dogs see?
The first difference is undoubtedly that due to the different proportion of cones and rods in the dog’s eye compared to human ones.
These structures dictate what colors dogs see, but they also dictate the color quality and the perception of moving objects.
As we have said, the colors that dogs see are yellow and blue, but there are other notable differences that characterize the dog’s view.
Dogs see better from a distance
Even if they see fewer colors than we do, dogs they beat us in vision over long distances. If together with our dog we looked at the same object in the distance, Fido would probably see it better than us.
This view was of fundamental importance to ensure a good hunting of the primitive dog.
Dogs have “panoramic mode”
If you were amazed to know what colors dogs see, it will surprise you even more to know that the dog has one depth perception different from ours.
Its eyes are placed on the sides of the head, which allows for better peripheral visiona bit like when we take the photo in panoramic mode.
How do dogs see in the dark?
Dogs they see better than us in the dark thanks to a structure called bright carpet This structure is present only in animals that make the most of night vision, such as cats and birds, but it is absent in humans.
The shiny mat is the layer of fabric that allows dogs to see better in the dark as it amplifies the amount of light perceived by the retina, improving its vision in dim conditions. Consequently, the dog will be satisfied with even a minimum amount of light to orient itself at night.
In short, the curiosity about the way of seeing dogs there are so many, but if you have wondered what colors dogs see if we take them to admire the rainbow, know that our friends will see: a trail of dark yellow followed by a light one, then gray and finally light blue and dark blue! Certainly it will not be as beautiful as we see it, but we know that his dog’s heart will appreciate it anyway, as long as it is in our company!