I was watching a nature documentary and it got me thinking; how are tigers able to fit the model of an apex predator with striped orange fur? Yes, they are master stalkers and can see incredibly well at night; my cat can tell you that much. But why are they colored the way that they are? They can blend in with savannahs and certain grassland biomes but they kind of stick out in vibrant green jungles.
What helps make them successful hunters is the fact that the animals they hunt lack trichromatic color vision; meaning they cannot properly perceive the three primary colors. Deers, boars and buffaloes all have some degree of red-green color blindness which makes it difficult for them to differentiate between green from red and any other color in-between on the visible light spectrum. From the perspective of its prey, tigers blend in seamlessly with its surroundings (see the simulated picture below).
Notably, this is the same type of color deficiency which affects 1/12 men and 1/200 women, worldwide (I couldn’t find a source which showed the exact numbers but this is a blog not my thesis so this will have to do).
So if you’re a grazer living in tiger country or someone who is aspiring to see the color orange, come on down to Au Beurre Noir! We carry EnChroma eyewear which are color enhancing glasses that are great for individuals who deal with red-green color blindness. Book an appointment with the store so that we can help you choose the appropriate lens for your indoor or outdoor needs!
