Camera technology now lets you see through animals’ eyes

Researchers have created new camera technology that shows the world as animals see it, The Washington Post reports.

Besides being pretty cool, the technique is useful for scientists, helping them study animals that see outside the visible light spectrum to which humans are limited. Flowers, in particular, often produce signals for pollinators that are visible only in the ultraviolet (UV) range.

The image above shows a narrow-leaved bugloss as a human would see it (left) and as a honeybee would (right). The centre of the flower absorbs UV light whereas the ends of the petals reflect it. The software works in part by meshing together photos taken using UV filters and regular colour filters. A number of animals can see in the UV light spectrum, including insects, birds, reptiles, amphibians and some fish and mammals. A new study in the journal Methods in Ecology and Evolution describes the software, which is available for free online.

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