Fruit Bats are not 'Blind as a Bat'

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Roosting Rodrigues fruit bat (Pteropus rodricensis) one of the studied species. Note the large frontally positioned eyes. Image: Dana LeBlanc Lubee Bat Center Gainesville Florida
Roosting Rodrigue’s fruit bat (Pteropus rodricensis), one of the studied species. Note the large frontally positioned eyes. Image: Dana LeBlanc, Lubee Bat Center, Gainesville, Florida

The retinas of most mammals contain two types of photoreceptor cells, the cones for daylight vision and colour vision, and the more sensitive rods for night vision. Nocturnal bats were traditionally believed to possess only rods. Now scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Brain Research in Frankfurt and at The Field Museum for Natural History in Chicago have discovered that nocturnal fruit bats (flying foxes) possess cones in addition to rods. Hence, fruit bats are also equipped for daylight vision.


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