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Biology Frogs can even see colors in the dark
More and more people have vision problems: Only recently was a study published, which came to the conclusion that half the world's population could be short-sighted by 2050. In the animal kingdom, however, some species can see very well. Among other things, certain birds, as well as by the term "eagle eye" is clarified. It is impressive what researchers now report on frogs: The amphibians can see even in the dark colors.
Extraordinary sensory achievements in the animal kingdom
The sense organs provide services that often seem unimaginable. For example, the human nose perceives over a trillion odors. In the animal kingdom, the senses are often much sharper. For example, dogs can not only hear much better than humans, but also smell much better. That the sense of smell of four-legged friends is more intense, has also been shown in scientific studies. For example, Austrian researchers reported that dogs can smell lung cancer. And Japanese scientists found that they can sniff colorectal cancer. Trained dogs can also warn against hypoglycaemia in diabetes. Even frogs are equipped with very special senses: they can see colors in the dark.
Researchers have found that frogs can see colors in the dark. (Image: Hotgeier / fotolia.com) See colors in the dark
Some animals can see very well. For example, the outstanding visual achievements of birds of prey with the proverbial "eagle eye" have found their way into the general consciousness.
At least as impressive is what frogs are capable of: they can see colors in the dark, as Swedish, Finnish, and Russian researchers have observed.
A message from the University of Lund (Sweden) states: "The night vision of frogs and toads seems to be superior to that of all other animals."
"They have the ability to see colors, even when it's so dark that people can not see anything at all," it continues.
Frogs with a unique ability
"We have previously shown that moths and geckos can see colors in poorer light than humans," said biology professor Almut Kelber of the Swedish University.
"Frogs, however, seem to have the unique ability to see colors in the dark."
According to the researchers, the dpa reports that this is due to the special visual cells of the animals in the retina. Unlike amphibians, for example, amphibians have chopsticks with different sensitivities, the team writes in the journal "Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B"..
For one of their experiments in Helsinki (Finland), the scientists placed grass frogs in a dark bucket with two openings. On one they applied a blue filter, on the other a green filter. Through this first seemed a little light in the bucket.
"When the frogs are in the dark and see light, they jump there to get out of the bucket," Kelber explained.
Seeing completely without light does not work
Finally, when the researchers left only very little light in the bucket, the animals jumped towards the green cover.
"So it could only be due to the color," says Kelber, according to dpa. "Why you favored green, you can ask a long time. But you could imagine that if you're a frog in the dark and you want to go to the forest, you're better off jumping where it's green. "
According to the scientists, the common frog can still see colors even if it is already completely dark for us humans.
However, it was found that the frogs could not see anything in absolute darkness. "Seeing without light is not possible," says Kelber. "But the frogs still see color with so little light that it's dark to our eyes." The professor said, "These results were unexpected." (Ad)