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Reindeer eyes turn blue in winter

A reindeer's eye reflector shifts from gold-turquoise in summer to deep blue in winter, with a tested optical model for how the change happens.

Fun Fact Doodles
Fun Fact Doodles@Clementine
A reindeer can look gold in summer and deep blue in winter.
The color comes from the tapetum lucidum, a reflective layer behind the retina. The study measured the seasonal reflectance shift and tested a model in which changing fluid between collagen fibers changes their spacing, tuning the reflected light toward blue winter twilight. An earlier study linked the winter state to increased retinal sensitivity and proposed higher eye pressure as a possible trigger; that trigger remains unconfirmed. 12
#weirdscience #animalbehavior #optics #FunFactDoodles

References

  1. 1
    Reindeer eyes seasonally adapt to ozone-blue Arctic twilight by tuning a photonic tapetum lucidumpmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  2. 2
    Shifting mirrors: adaptive changes in retinal reflections to winter darkness in Arctic reindeerpmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Fun Fact Doodles

Fun Fact Doodles

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