Who would ever think that tapetum lucidum of a reindeer's eye would change for the color blue to gold depending on the season? I certainty wouldn't. It is so stunning that a mammal, not as evolved as us would have eyes more evolved than us, human beings. It is also very amazing to know that it isn't the iris of the eye that changes colors, but the interior parts. Another thing that amazes me is that this change isn't just for being prettier, it actually helps them survive better when there isn't that much light to guide them. Also, it helps them when see better when there is too much light for any other creature to see. I thought this was a very good blog article. Thank you Lilah for finding it.
This article was extremely interesting. It is amazing that reindeer's eyes can change from blue to gold. Does this benefit the reindeer in any ways? I think that this could be the lead to a medical breakthrough in cosmetic surgery. In this day and age lots of people get cosmetic surgery to change their appearance. There are ways to change your hair and face, but what about your eyes. If you could capture this DNA from a reindeer, you could find a way to change people's eye color. Overall, this is an amazing discovery.
I really enjoyed this article because it focused on the anatomy of the reindeer, more specifically the eye fluids. I thought it was fascinating that because the eye fluids are trapped, and there is less light reflection, their eye color changes. This started to make me wonder if the pressure of the eye fluids being trapped could also change the chemical makeup of the fluids. If this is so, how do those different chemicals react when they are combined. Perhaps this could help the world to make new antibiotics to help cure infections.
I thought that this was interesting. This is a very strange adaption to deal with the light in the North. I also enjoying learning how the sun never rises in the winter and never sets in the summer. Although it was disgusting how they discovered this. I'm kind of against the Sami slaughtering these animals.
Oh my goodness. I wonder why a reindeer's eye would change. And to blue at christmas. Even the iris changes. The eye even helps them survive better. Wow, an eye making someone survive better. The change isn't just for being pretty. The thing that I still can't get over is how the color contrasts with the seasons. Wow.
I found it really cool that reindeer's eyes change color depending on light. At first, I thought that there would be a really useless reason that the eyes change color. But after I read part of it, it quickly showed that it allows them to view better. As it mentions in the middle of the article, this change can help them detect things that most other animals are not able to, like something moving in the dark. Also, it's cool that the eyes can change to more than blue and gold. They already know about green, but I'm sure that they also can be other colors, and that some other animal's eyes might be able to change, too. Lastly, I just wanted to mention that there were only a few paragraphs that had information that explained something. Most of it was not needed and could have been condensed. I would give this article 8 out of 10 stars.
I think this article was really cool because I think the author really went into depth about the eye fluids and about reindeers. I think this helps they reindeer see better because in the article the writer said sometimes it is pitch black. Maybe they change eye color to help them see in darkness. I wonder if the reindeer know their eye color is changing or it just happens automatically. This is a great discovery.
That is absolutely awesome! Even though the reindeer will not be able to see as well in winter, it will be able to sense light at such a high level which balances out that disadvantage. It is amazing that they don't have to keep the golden eyes from spring that are perfect for seeing clearly, while sensing less light. Whenever I hear about these incredible talents that animals have, I always wish that humans had them. Except that a human with gold color eyes would be a little creepy. It is briefly mentioned that reindeers have many other ways of adapting to each season like changing the color of their fur from brown to white and vice versa. I never knew that reindeers could be so interesting, which reminds me that humans aren't the only living creature that have strange abilities.
I actually don't find this so surprising because similar effects happen with other animals and even the human race. But I still find it pretty interesting because gold to blue to me seems like a very vast change. I have heard about some animals changing skin color over the affect of climate but it was a much more minor change in color, it was usually just a different shade of a color. I would rate this article an 8 out of 10 because it really focused on the anatomy of the reindeer, going into the eye fluids more though. In my opinion this discovery will be beneficial to mankind.
I think this is an interesting article. It is amazing how nature adapts to its surroundings. However, I do not think that this research should have taken this long. It would be great if the research only took a little bit of time, but I think that they could have spent the ten years that they spent researching something other than reindeer eyes. It's not as if the reindeer needed us to tell it about its eyes. I mean the reindeer had the amazing eyes long before we discovered it, and us discovering the eye’s properties does not benefit the reindeer in any way. In fact, it actually made the reindeer’s situation worse because researchers are probably hunting more reindeer now to collect the eyes. In addition, this discovery has not benefitted us in any way either. We do not need to know this because we ourselves do not have the part that reindeer do, and we also have electrical lights so that we can see when it’s dark. However, I believe that there is one way it might benefit us; if a camera could be invented that imitated the reindeer’s eyes, then that would be beneficial for people who live in dark places. Of course you wouldn’t be able to see the picture clearly, but it would at least produce a photo that is not complete darkness. How clearly can the reindeer see? Also, the article mentioned reindeer develop glaucoma, which is an eye disease. Do the reindeer really develop glaucoma or do they just develop the symptoms of glaucoma?
I agree with Christina; and I hadn't even thought of that until I read her comment. This discovery could benefit us if we were to create some sort of camera or pair of glasses that mimic reindeer eyes for if you're in the dark. And not only just that, for example, if there was an earthquake and the power went out, this discovery might push us to create a device that allows us to see like a reindeer, in other words, allow our eyes to absorb more light. I did a bit of research on what other animals have the tapetum lucidum besides the cat and the reindeer. It turns out that it's found in mammals mostly nocturnal or crepuscular, meaning searching and foraging for food at dawn. Some more animals that have the tapetum lucidum include seals, sea lions, walruses, whales, dolphins, porpoises, fruit bats, and rodents. A few kinds of lower primates also have this feature, although most primates are diurnal meaning that they lack tapetum lucidum. From the moment I found this article I knew it would be interesting and great for this time of year, although I am upset that reindeer are being hunted by the Sami. Despite this little sad point, I give the article 10 out of 10 stars.
At first glance, the idea that reindeer eyes can change color might seem like a cool fact, but maybe there are scientific discoveries to be made from this. It seems like the reindeer eyes change color to adapt to changing levels of light in the winter and summer. Possibly, the same principles that make this function might be used to adapt human vision for better seeing in the dark. One use for this would be for the military. What if all the soldiers could see in the dark? This may not be as impossible as it may seem. Already gene splicing is being tested to treat cancer and other diseases that have no cures. In the future these techniques could be used to alter human vision. This raises questions about all kinds of optional changes to who they are or what they are. Personally, I feel that this technology, like cloning, should not be used unless it is mandatory for health reasons. When and if we develop this technology what does this mean for future human beings? Once we start changing every aspect of our genetic makeup, are we humans anymore?
I think this article is very interesting. I find it intriguing that reindeers’ eyes appear different colors at depending on the season. Before reading this article, I had never heard of animals with eyes even remotely as amazing as reindeer eyes. Because of this, I hope to research animals with extraordinary eyes further. I am going to post animals with unusual eyes characteristics later, but, in the mean time, if anyone knows of any other animals with unique eyes, I would love to hear about them.
After reading this article, I decided to research other animals with amazing eyes, and now I want to share what I found. The animals I researched do not have eyes like reindeers, but nonetheless their eyes are still incredible and very interesting. The first animal I want to share with you is a tarsier. For those of you that don’t know, a tarsier is a small animal, around the same size as a squirrel. It lives in rainforests located in South Eastern Asia, and dines on lizards, insects, and even birds. Tarsiers are mainly known for their large eyes. If humans had eyes proportionally as enormous as tarsiers, their eyes would be about the same size as a grapefruit. In fact, they are so large, that each eye is heavier than it’s brain. As you might have guessed, tarsiers have extremely sharp vision, in both the daytime and in the night. As you can see, this animal has very unique eyes that help it in many different ways, just like a reindeer’s amazing eyes help it. The second animal I want to write about is a better-known animal, a chameleon. As most people know, chameleons have the ability to change their color. But along with that unique feat, they also have extraordinary eyes. Besides a small spot that lets the pupil see, Chameleons’ eyelids are “fused,” meaning that their eyelids cover nearly the whole eyeball. One of the most intriguing things about a chameleons’ eyes, though, are that they can each move by themselves, giving a chameleon an opportunity to look for food and dangerous animals at the same time. In addition to this, chameleons are able to see ultraviolet light. The third animal I researched was a leaf-tailed gecko. By anyone’s standards, leaf-tailed geckos have very unusual eyes. Their pupils are vertical, and have many “pinholes” on them that enlarge during the nighttime so that they can see lots of light. Because they have more light sensitive cells than we do, they can sense things and see color during the nighttime hours. As you might have heard, cats and sharks can see much better than us humans in the dark; cats can see about six times better and sharks around ten times better. Leaf-tailed geckos; however, can see 350 times better than humans when in bad or little light. In addition, leaf-tailed geckos eyes have weird patterns on them that provide camouflage, another advantage this animal has become of their eyes. In conclusion, there are many animals out there with, weird, interesting, and extraordinary eyes. However, all of the animals I wrote about today benefit from their unique eyes because of different, or unusual ways. On a separate note, I actually have one more question about this article. In the article, it mentioned that there are not any other mammals that have eyes that appear different colors at different seasons. The article said mammals, so I was wondering if anyone knew of any non-mammals that eyes are like reindeers. Anyways, I thought all the animals, but especially the reindeers, I learned about today were truly magnificent, and I think it is important that scientists continue to learn and research these animals, and find out more about their unique way of life.
It is a magnificent discovery, however after reading this article, it gave me a clue. What if it just depends on the color of the environment. Their eyes are blue in the winter because of the ice and night mixture. They are not dark blue, or ice white, they are a mixuture of both. And in the summer, there eyes are gold because of the sun mixed with the ice. This article however was very interesting. It is a great fact to tell other friends and family.
It is a magnificent discovery, however after reading this article, it gave me a clue. What if it just depends on the color of the environment. Their eyes are blue in the winter because of the ice and night mixture. They are not dark blue, or ice white, they are a mixuture of both. And in the summer, there eyes are gold because of the sun mixed with the ice. This article however was very interesting. It is a great fact to tell other friends and family.
17 comments:
Who would ever think that tapetum lucidum of a reindeer's eye would change for the color blue to gold depending on the season? I certainty wouldn't. It is so stunning that a mammal, not as evolved as us would have eyes more evolved than us, human beings. It is also very amazing to know that it isn't the iris of the eye that changes colors, but the interior parts. Another thing that amazes me is that this change isn't just for being prettier, it actually helps them survive better when there isn't that much light to guide them. Also, it helps them when see better when there is too much light for any other creature to see. I thought this was a very good blog article. Thank you Lilah for finding it.
This article was extremely interesting. It is amazing that reindeer's eyes can change from blue to gold. Does this benefit the reindeer in any ways? I think that this could be the lead to a medical breakthrough in cosmetic surgery. In this day and age lots of people get cosmetic surgery to change their appearance. There are ways to change your hair and face, but what about your eyes. If you could capture this DNA from a reindeer, you could find a way to change people's eye color. Overall, this is an amazing discovery.
I really enjoyed this article because it focused on the anatomy of the reindeer, more specifically the eye fluids. I thought it was fascinating that because the eye fluids are trapped, and there is less light reflection, their eye color changes. This started to make me wonder if the pressure of the eye fluids being trapped could also change the chemical makeup of the fluids. If this is so, how do those different chemicals react when they are combined. Perhaps this could help the world to make new antibiotics to help cure infections.
I thought that this was interesting. This is a very strange adaption to deal with the light in the North. I also enjoying learning how the sun never rises in the winter and never sets in the summer. Although it was disgusting how they discovered this. I'm kind of against the Sami slaughtering these animals.
Oh my goodness. I wonder why a reindeer's eye would change. And to blue at christmas. Even the iris changes. The eye even helps them survive better. Wow, an eye making someone survive better. The change isn't just for being pretty. The thing that I still can't get over is how the color contrasts with the seasons. Wow.
I found it really cool that reindeer's eyes change color depending on light. At first, I thought that there would be a really useless reason that the eyes change color. But after I read part of it, it quickly showed that it allows them to view better. As it mentions in the middle of the article, this change can help them detect things that most other animals are not able to, like something moving in the dark. Also, it's cool that the eyes can change to more than blue and gold. They already know about green, but I'm sure that they also can be other colors, and that some other animal's eyes might be able to change, too. Lastly, I just wanted to mention that there were only a few paragraphs that had information that explained something. Most of it was not needed and could have been condensed. I would give this article 8 out of 10 stars.
I think this article was really cool because I think the author really went into depth about the eye fluids and about reindeers. I think this helps they reindeer see better because in the article the writer said sometimes it is pitch black. Maybe they change eye color to help them see in darkness. I wonder if the reindeer know their eye color is changing or it just happens automatically. This is a great discovery.
That is absolutely awesome! Even though the reindeer will not be able to see as well in winter, it will be able to sense light at such a high level which balances out that disadvantage. It is amazing that they don't have to keep the golden eyes from spring that are perfect for seeing clearly, while sensing less light. Whenever I hear about these incredible talents that animals have, I always wish that humans had them. Except that a human with gold color eyes would be a little creepy. It is briefly mentioned that reindeers have many other ways of adapting to each season like changing the color of their fur from brown to white and vice versa. I never knew that reindeers could be so interesting, which reminds me that humans aren't the only living creature that have strange abilities.
I actually don't find this so surprising because similar effects happen with other animals and even the human race. But I still find it pretty interesting because gold to blue to me seems like a very vast change. I have heard about some animals changing skin color over the affect of climate but it was a much more minor change in color, it was usually just a different shade of a color. I would rate this article an 8 out of 10 because it really focused on the anatomy of the reindeer, going into the eye fluids more though. In my opinion this discovery will be beneficial to mankind.
I think this is an interesting article. It is amazing how nature adapts to its surroundings. However, I do not think that this research should have taken this long. It would be great if the research only took a little bit of time, but I think that they could have spent the ten years that they spent researching something other than reindeer eyes. It's not as if the reindeer needed us to tell it about its eyes. I mean the reindeer had the amazing eyes long before we discovered it, and us discovering the eye’s properties does not benefit the reindeer in any way. In fact, it actually made the reindeer’s situation worse because researchers are probably hunting more reindeer now to collect the eyes. In addition, this discovery has not benefitted us in any way either. We do not need to know this because we ourselves do not have the part that reindeer do, and we also have electrical lights so that we can see when it’s dark. However, I believe that there is one way it might benefit us; if a camera could be invented that imitated the reindeer’s eyes, then that would be beneficial for people who live in dark places. Of course you wouldn’t be able to see the picture clearly, but it would at least produce a photo that is not complete darkness. How clearly can the reindeer see? Also, the article mentioned reindeer develop glaucoma, which is an eye disease. Do the reindeer really develop glaucoma or do they just develop the symptoms of glaucoma?
I agree with Christina; and I hadn't even thought of that until I read her comment. This discovery could benefit us if we were to create some sort of camera or pair of glasses that mimic reindeer eyes for if you're in the dark. And not only just that, for example, if there was an earthquake and the power went out, this discovery might push us to create a device that allows us to see like a reindeer, in other words, allow our eyes to absorb more light.
I did a bit of research on what other animals have the tapetum lucidum besides the cat and the reindeer. It turns out that it's found in mammals mostly nocturnal or crepuscular, meaning searching and foraging for food at dawn. Some more animals that have the tapetum lucidum include seals, sea lions, walruses, whales, dolphins, porpoises, fruit bats, and rodents. A few kinds of lower primates also have this feature, although most primates are diurnal meaning that they lack tapetum lucidum.
From the moment I found this article I knew it would be interesting and great for this time of year, although I am upset that reindeer are being hunted by the Sami. Despite this little sad point, I give the article 10 out of 10 stars.
To add on to my other comment, this is the site I got my research from.
http://www.ehow.com/info_8541210_animals-tapetum-lucidum.html
At first glance, the idea that reindeer eyes can change color might seem like a cool fact, but maybe there are scientific discoveries to be made from this. It seems like the reindeer eyes change color to adapt to changing levels of light in the winter and summer. Possibly, the same principles that make this function might be used to adapt human vision for better seeing in the dark. One use for this would be for the military. What if all the soldiers could see in the dark? This may not be as impossible as it may seem. Already gene splicing is being tested to treat cancer and other diseases that have no cures. In the future these techniques could be used to alter human vision. This raises questions about all kinds of optional changes to who they are or what they are. Personally, I feel that this technology, like cloning, should not be used unless it is mandatory for health reasons. When and if we develop this technology what does this mean for future human beings? Once we start changing every aspect of our genetic makeup, are we humans anymore?
I think this article is very interesting. I find it intriguing that reindeers’ eyes appear different colors at depending on the season. Before reading this article, I had never heard of animals with eyes even remotely as amazing as reindeer eyes. Because of this, I hope to research animals with extraordinary eyes further. I am going to post animals with unusual eyes characteristics later, but, in the mean time, if anyone knows of any other animals with unique eyes, I would love to hear about them.
After reading this article, I decided to research other animals with amazing eyes, and now I want to share what I found. The animals I researched do not have eyes like reindeers, but nonetheless their eyes are still incredible and very interesting. The first animal I want to share with you is a tarsier. For those of you that don’t know, a tarsier is a small animal, around the same size as a squirrel. It lives in rainforests located in South Eastern Asia, and dines on lizards, insects, and even birds. Tarsiers are mainly known for their large eyes. If humans had eyes proportionally as enormous as tarsiers, their eyes would be about the same size as a grapefruit. In fact, they are so large, that each eye is heavier than it’s brain. As you might have guessed, tarsiers have extremely sharp vision, in both the daytime and in the night. As you can see, this animal has very unique eyes that help it in many different ways, just like a reindeer’s amazing eyes help it.
The second animal I want to write about is a better-known animal, a chameleon. As most people know, chameleons have the ability to change their color. But along with that unique feat, they also have extraordinary eyes. Besides a small spot that lets the pupil see, Chameleons’ eyelids are “fused,” meaning that their eyelids cover nearly the whole eyeball. One of the most intriguing things about a chameleons’ eyes, though, are that they can each move by themselves, giving a chameleon an opportunity to look for food and dangerous animals at the same time. In addition to this, chameleons are able to see ultraviolet light.
The third animal I researched was a leaf-tailed gecko. By anyone’s standards, leaf-tailed geckos have very unusual eyes. Their pupils are vertical, and have many “pinholes” on them that enlarge during the nighttime so that they can see lots of light. Because they have more light sensitive cells than we do, they can sense things and see color during the nighttime hours. As you might have heard, cats and sharks can see much better than us humans in the dark; cats can see about six times better and sharks around ten times better. Leaf-tailed geckos; however, can see 350 times better than humans when in bad or little light. In addition, leaf-tailed geckos eyes have weird patterns on them that provide camouflage, another advantage this animal has become of their eyes.
In conclusion, there are many animals out there with, weird, interesting, and extraordinary eyes. However, all of the animals I wrote about today benefit from their unique eyes because of different, or unusual ways. On a separate note, I actually have one more question about this article. In the article, it mentioned that there are not any other mammals that have eyes that appear different colors at different seasons. The article said mammals, so I was wondering if anyone knew of any non-mammals that eyes are like reindeers. Anyways, I thought all the animals, but especially the reindeers, I learned about today were truly magnificent, and I think it is important that scientists continue to learn and research these animals, and find out more about their unique way of life.
It is a magnificent discovery, however after reading this article, it gave me a clue. What if it just depends on the color of the environment. Their eyes are blue in the winter because of the ice and night mixture. They are not dark blue, or ice white, they are a mixuture of both. And in the summer, there eyes are gold because of the sun mixed with the ice. This article however was very interesting. It is a great fact to tell other friends and family.
It is a magnificent discovery, however after reading this article, it gave me a clue. What if it just depends on the color of the environment. Their eyes are blue in the winter because of the ice and night mixture. They are not dark blue, or ice white, they are a mixuture of both. And in the summer, there eyes are gold because of the sun mixed with the ice. This article however was very interesting. It is a great fact to tell other friends and family.
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