Sugar gliders are nocturnal animals like bats, so they have the best vision at night. Pet owners may see them with black, white, brown, or cinnamon colored fur and sometimes in gray, red, or yellowish tones. However, the question is, “can sugar gliders see color?”
Read on to know if your sugar glider can really see you the way you look in terms of colors.
The Eyes
Can sugar gliders see color? We can answer this by learning more about the eyes of your furry pet.
Sugar gliders have large eyes that stick out from each side of their head, making them have a large field of vision. Their protruding eyes allow them to scan and watch the environment closely before they glide from one place to another. This great field of vision compliments the marsupials’ ability to glide.
These sweet little gliders are also considered nocturnal animals, which means their eyes work far better at nighttime than in the daytime. Along with the heightened ability to smell, sugar gliders use their excellent night vision to hunt for food.
Structure of the Eye
Sugar gliders’ ability to see color can be found while examining the structure of their eyes. At the back part of it lies the retina, which is a light-sensitive tissue. Furthermore, small cells can be found in the retina of the eye.
The small cells found in the retina are called photoreceptors, and these cells also serve a vital role in the sugar gliders’ night vision ability. There are two types of photoreceptors called cones and rods.
Cones work by being sensitive to bright colors such as blue, red, and green. This specific photoreceptor converts different levels of light into signals to be sent to the brain to form a visual representation.
On the other hand, rods are associated more with a dim environment or grayscale. This cell is also responsible for assisting the eye with night vision and seeing black and white.
Can Sugar Gliders See Color?
Sugar gliders are thought to only see in grayscale and hues of red. We can further discover this by the number of marsupial cones and rods in their eye. They have fewer blue and green cones but have a significant number of red cones. They also have many rods, thus their ability in night vision and seeing only in grayscale.
Conclusion
Can sugar gliders see colors? No, but they do have cones that let them see red hues and rods that give them great vision during the night. As a pet owner, you may see them in their colorful variety, but they can only see you in terms of red and grayscale.