Can a human have tapetum lucidum?

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asked 3 days ago in Science by Cloviskline2233 (540 points)
Can a human have tapetum lucidum?

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answered 3 days ago by Layza2i2i (2,100 points)
A human cannot have tapetum lucidum.

Tapetum lucidum is the reflective layer of tissue that is found in the eyes of many animals that are nocturnal, like deer, dogs and cats.

The tapetum lucidum helps the nocturnal animals see much better in low light conditions by reflecting the light back onto their retina.

Us humans are diurnal animals which don't need the adaptation to see better at night and so humans lack the tapetum lucidum that other animals have who are nocturnal.

Not having the tapetum lucidum is why our human yes don't shine in the dark like the eyes of some animals do.

Us humans have poor night vision when compared to many animals such as cats, dogs, foxes and rabbits, in part because the human eye lacks a tapetum lucidum, tissue behind the retina that reflects light back through the retina thus increasing the light available to the photoreceptors.

As humans we have dark-colored cells behind our retinas, which absorb light rather than reflect it.

The majority of animals displaying eye shine also are nocturnal animals.

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