To most people, leaves are green and oranges are orange. But if our pets could speak, they’d disagree.
We know there are many different ways to ‘see’ the world because that’s the diversity we have found in animals. Organisms with the ability to see have two or more eyes that capture light reflected by different surfaces in their surroundings and turn it into visual cues. But while all eyes have this common purpose, the specialised cells that respond to the light, called photoreceptors, are unique to each animal.
For instance, human eyes can only detect wavelengths of light between 380 and 700 nanometres (nm); this is the visible range. Honey bees and many birds on the other hand can also ‘see’ ultraviolet light (10-400 nm).
