Scientists, experts, and bored pet owners have sat around wondering exactly what it is that animals see for hundreds of years. So far, the mysterious has evaded those curious about animal vision, but now researchers from Exeter University have moved one step closer to finally cracking the code, and figuring out exactly what it is that our animal counterparts see. Using advanced technology, and hundreds of thousands of images which epitomize what animals might look at, they are able to see what predators view when staring into a scene involving camouflage.
The Difficulty of Viewing the World with Animal Vision
It has taken a long time to accomplish the goal of being able to see the world with an animal’s point of view, but it’s not due to a lack of effort on the part of scientists and researchers. Not being able to view the world in the same way as animals is due in part to a lack of resources. Researchers from the University of Exeter have taken countless hours of video, and over 14,000 photos in order to make their ambitious ‘Project Nightjar’ a reality. If the inability to determine what animals see is due in part to a lack of manpower, it must also then be partially attributed to a lack of available technology to complete the project. Only in 2015 with the software capabilities that scientists needed to finish their study, was the team able to finally create what they set out to create.
How is Any of This Going to Benefit Animals and Humans In the Future?
Thousands of years of evolution have made some species of animal very difficult to spot in the wild, and this new research sheds light on the fascinating world of what camouflage looks like from the point of view of a predator in the wild. This could lead to advancements in field work under circumstances where scientists have difficulty locating their subjects. These experts also hope to raise awareness how camouflage helps to thwart predator attacks in the wild.
Animal Vision Research Turned into Something a Lot More Fun
All of this compiled data that scientists have gathered has been compressed into a game that can be downloaded, but it’s more than fun and games when it comes to Exeter Universitie’s interactive ‘Egglab’. Those that play the game have a crucial role in extending the research farther than is possible in the field according to one of the lead scientific contributors, Dr. Martin Stevens, “the fieldwork looks at how camouflage of real animals in the wild affects how likely they are to be eaten by a range of predators, and how camouflage is influenced by behaviour and nesting strategies of the birds. The egg game looks at how camouflage evolved against different habitats under controlled conditions.”.
This new study will change the way that we look at camouflage and animal vision, but don’t blink or you might miss it.
