We know that animals can see things like us. But can they distinguish between different colors like human beings? To find an answer to this question, scientists have conducted a number of experiments on different animals like cats, dogs, apes and bees.
Experimentally, it has been found that dogs cannot distinguish between different colors. Some dogs were given eatables of different colors but the variation in colors had no affecting them. This has proved that dogs cannot identify different colors. Some experiments of this type were found to be color blind.
Besides man, ape is the only mammal, which can differentiate between different colors. All other mammals are color blind.
The honey bees also have this exceptional characteristic. They can differentiate between different colors. However, they cannot identify the red color. Red looks like black to them. It is on the basis of identification of colors that these bees are attracted towards the flowers of different colors from which they collect honey. The honey bees are also capable of seeing the ultraviolet rays tat even human beings cannot see.
A honey bee can see ultraviolet rays but it fail to identify red color
To test their power of color vision, the bees were shown two cards- blue and red. A little syrup was placed on the blue care, whereas the red card was without it. The honey bees gathered on the blue card. Then the blue card, without any syrup on it was kept at a different place. The bees reached there as well. This proved that they could distinguish between different colors.
Even birds can differentiate between different colors. The color of the male birds is more attractive than those of the females. These colors are used to the attract the female. It has been observed that birds can identify all the colors of the rainbow.
Generally animals have no need to distinguish between colors because most of them hunt by night and do not depend on color. However, they have a greater power of smell and as such their color blindness does not handicap them.
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