The cow is an animal familiar to most people. In the village at my grandmother’s, many people carefully stroked the cow’s face, knowing that it might get scared and jerk sharply for no reason at all. And sometimes a cow peers intently at an object nearby. To understand the mechanism of this behavior, you need to know how the animal sees the world, and whether bulls distinguish basic colors in the same way as humans.
How does a bull's eye work?
The cow's organ of vision is in many ways similar to other mammals. It is located in the orbit of the skull.Consists of a membrane, lens and vitreous body. The bull's eyeball connects to the brain through the optic nerve.
There are three shell layers:
- The outer one consists of the cornea and sclera. It contains muscles and tendons that cause the eye to move. The transparent cornea conducts light reflected from objects inward. It is very sensitive to pain and pressure due to the large number of nerve endings and the absence of blood vessels.
- The middle part includes the iris, ciliary body and vascular network. The iris acts as a lens and directs light. It also contains the color pigment that colors the eye. Cows have predominant shades of brown. At the center of the iris is the pupil. The vascular network is responsible for feeding the organ and is located between the retina and sclera. The ciliary body controls the curvature of the lens and regulates heat transfer.
- The retina (inner layer) processes light and converts it into an information impulse that goes to the brain. In front of it is the vitreous body. It maintains the tone of the eye. This is where the rods and cones are located. The first ones help to navigate during the day. The latter provide color vision.
From the outside, the cow's eye apparatus is protected by the eyelids, which are covered from the inside with mucous conjunctiva. There is a nictitating membrane in the inner corner.
Tears, which contain the enzyme lysozyme, protect the bull's organ of vision from infections and debris. Well, lush eyelashes save you from insects and thorny plants.
Features of visual perception
The lens of the eye of cows is adapted so that they can clearly distinguish objects at a distance of up to 3 meters from themselves, but beyond that they begin to blur. This is why bulls stare at one point for a long time.There is a “blind spot” in the area in front of the nose. However, neither congenital myopia nor this interfere with the ungulate’s life in any way.
These mammals see everything on an enlarged scale at close range. And an approaching child, shepherd, or milkmaid will be perceived as something threatening. The bull can see in the dark. Weak light inside the eye is reflected from the retina and amplified 5-10 times. This allows the buffalo to spot predators hunting at night. If you shine a flashlight on a cow, its pupils will glow white or yellow.
Do cows see colors?
It is a common misconception that bulls suffer from color blindness. Mammals that are unable to visually perceive one or more colors are considered color blind. But more often this term is used to refer to a person who does not see red shades.
Representatives of the bovid family recognize a palette of colors necessary for normal life: green, yellow, blue, red, black and white. But their saturation is so low that for a bull they merge into a single color. A cow has only 2 color receptors (humans have 3). Due to this feature, cattle are susceptible to shades of blue and yellow-green spectrum. They do not distinguish the color red. But this fact does not make bulls colorblind.
Why is it believed that bulls do not like the color red?
“Acts like a red rag on a bull” is a familiar expression, isn’t it? This myth arose from the popularity of Spanish bullfighting, where brave bullfighters fought angry horned opponents using a scarlet muleta. This fact has long been refuted by scientists.
The aggressive behavior of the bull is not at all connected with the red matter. The animal reacts to her movement and perceives her as an enemy or an obstacle. Since the fighter stands at least 5 meters away, the bull does not see the clear outlines of the enemy and attacks the first moving object.
In addition, bulls for bullfighting are specially raised and trained. And on the eve of the performance itself, they are deliberately not fed in order to increase aggression.
Such an explosive mixture makes one believe that the enraged beast rushes precisely at the crimson barrier. Although in reality it can be any color, it was made red to add spectacle to the battle, attract the attention of spectators and demonstrate the intensity of passions.
