Overview
- Researchers from Dartmouth College and the University of St. Andrews have discovered that reindeer eyes have evolved to spot their preferred meal, reindeer moss, a type of lichen that grows in northern latitudes.
- Unlike other mammals, reindeer can see light in the ultraviolet spectrum, which allows them to spot the moss, which absorbs UV light, against the snow.
- Reindeer eyes contain mirror-like tissue that changes color from greenish gold in the summer to vivid blue in the winter, thought to amplify the low light of polar winter.
- The study suggests that the evolution of reindeer vision may not be solely for predator detection, as previously thought, but also for food detection.
- Reindeer eyes are full of ascorbic acid, or vitamin C, which is beneficial for repairing damaged cells.