User:Kalefl21/Dinosaur vision

Recent evidence has also shown that some species possessed highly specialized color and night vision. (This would be added to the existing dinosaur vision intro)

Night Vision

This area of research has focused on whether certain species of dinosaur possessed acute night vision, or if such nocturnal adaptations were exclusive to smaller mammals and later, birds. Computerized Tomography has revealed evidence suggesting that several dinosaur species possessed formidable night vision and were capable of extensive nocturnal activity.

The scleral ring is critical in determining a dinosaur's nocturnal capacity. Diameter and circumference of the structure directly correlate with the effectiveness of modern animal night vision and is hypothesized to do the same in dinosaurs. A larger scleral ring indicates an increased capacity to capture ambient light, thereby amplifying nocturnal visual acuity.

Small herbivores, such as the Shuvuuia deserti, were found to have particularly large scleral ring's. Taken in tandem with previous findings of extremely sensitive hearing, researchers concluded that they likely possessed acute night vision for nocturnal activity. Large carnivorous theropods, such as the Tyrannosaurus and Dromaeosaurus, were found to have much smaller scleral rings and likely had visual capacities more suited to daytime activity.

Color Vision

Dinosaur color vision is studied by evaluating fossil records and reconstructing biomes; researchers can make inferences about the biological structures that are needed to interact with a dinosaurs hypothesized environment .

Melanosomes have been identified in the fossilized feathers of certain dinosaur species. The presence of melanosomes in bird feathers indicates the potential for enhanced color discrimination. Modern birds whose feathers contain melanosome-like structures are tetrachromats. Tetrachromacy refers to the possession of four types of cone cells in the eyes, allowing for enhanced color vision.

Because melanosomes are associated with enhanced color vision in birds today, the presence of these structures in early dinosaurs suggests that they may have also been tetrachromats. This hypothesis implies that these dinosaurs had advanced color vision, potentially aiding them in tasks such as finding food, identifying mates, and communicating with conspecifics. Specifically, these tetrachromats are capable of discriminating shades of turquoise and ultraviolet that trichromats, like humans, cannot.