Animal colour vision: receptor peaks and the wheel method
The data behind what colors can animals see: colour receptor classes and their peak wavelengths in nanometres, ultraviolet sensitivity, and how the colour wheel is rendered.
Method
- The wheel has 12 hues in 3 lightness rings and a white centre, generated in code (no photo). Each patch is passed through the engine's colour step only (processPixels with the colour matrix of the species, ultraviolet gain 1, no blur, no mosaic, no night), so the wheel matches what the simulator does to a photo.
- Receptor classes are not colours seen: an eye with more classes does not always tell more colours apart.
- "Reds and greens look alike" shows when the rendered red and green swatches are closer than 45 in CIELAB chroma (a*, b*) distance. This threshold is PROVISIONAL until the science review.
- Ultraviolet cannot be shown on a screen: the wheel marks it with a hatched band only.
- Only measured colour data (evidence A or AU) is used.
Example: the dog
| Animal | Classes | Peaks | UV | Red-green distance | Evidence | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dog Canis familiaris | 2 | 431, 555 nm | no | 26.1 (merge) | Measured (not re-verified) | Longcore 2023 |
| Rock pigeon Columba livia | 4 | 406.5, 453, 507, 567 nm | no | 106.9 | Measured | Lind et al. 2014; Longcore 2023 |
| Tawny owl Strix aluco | 4 | 420, 463, 530, 555 nm | no | 92.4 | Measured | Lind et al. 2014; Longcore 2023; VPOD in-vivo (MSP / single-cell) lambda… 2025 |
| Western honey bee Apis mellifera | 3 | 344, 436, 556 nm | yes | 57.1 | Measured (not re-verified) | Kelber et al. 2003; Kirwan; Porter et al. 2006 |
| Cat Felis catus | 2 | 450, 555 nm | no | 4.7 (merge) | Measured | Longcore 2023 |
| Peacock mantis shrimp Odontodactylus scyllarus | 10 | 400, 429, 430, 451, 487, 503, 506, 509, 528, 546 nm | no | 93.7 | Measured | Porter |
| Brownbanded bamboo shark Chiloscyllium punctatum | 1 | 531.9 nm | no | 0 | Measured (not re-verified) | Hart et al. 2020; VPOD in-vivo (MSP / single-cell) lambda… 2025 |
| Horse Equus caballus | 2 | 428, 539 nm | no | 42.8 (merge) | Measured | Longcore 2023 |
| Cow Bos taurus | 2 | 438, 554 nm | no | 18.7 (merge) | Measured | Longcore 2023; Müller et al. 2009 |
| Goldfish Carassius auratus | 4 | 360, 455, 532, 614 nm | yes | 107.2 | Measured (not re-verified) | Schweikert et al. 2018; VPOD in-vivo (MSP / single-cell) lambda… 2025; Hárosi et al. 1974 |
| Chicken Gallus gallus | 4 | 418, 455, 507, 569 nm | no | 51.9 | Measured | Lind et al. 2014; Longcore 2023 |
| Asian swallowtail Papilio xuthus | 5 | 360, 400, 440, 520, 600 nm | yes | 112 | Measured (not re-verified) | Kelber et al. 2003; Longcore 2023; van der Kooi CJ, Stavenga DG… 2021 |
| Monarch butterfly Danaus plexippus | 8 | 330, 337.5, 435, 450, 525, 537.5, 570, 610 nm | yes | 114.6 | Measured (not re-verified) | Pirih et al. 2022; van der Kooi CJ, Stavenga DG… 2021; Belušič et al. 2021 |
| Budgerigar Melopsittacus undulatus | 4 | 371, 440, 499, 566 nm | yes | 55.6 | Measured | Lind et al. 2014; Longcore 2023 |
| Pig Sus scrofa | 2 | 439, 556 nm | no | 16.1 (merge) | Measured | Longcore 2023 |
| Sheep Ovis aries | 2 | 446, 552 nm | no | 11.5 (merge) | Measured | Longcore 2023 |
| Brown rat Rattus norvegicus | 2 | 358, 509 nm | yes | 71.6 | Measured | Frazer et al. 2024 |
| House mouse Mus musculus | 2 | 359.5, 512 nm | yes | 76.1 | Measured | Longcore 2023; VPOD in-vivo (MSP / single-cell) lambda… 2025 |
| Bottlenose dolphin Tursiops truncatus | 1 | 524 nm | no | 0 | Measured | Frazer et al. 2024 |
| White-tailed deer Odocoileus virginianus | 2 | 457, 537 nm | no | 10.8 (merge) | Measured | Longcore 2023 |
| Green anole Anolis carolinensis | 4 | 365, 462, 503, 625 nm | yes | 104.1 | Measured | Longcore 2023 |
| European starling Sturnus vulgaris | 4 | 362, 449, 504, 563 nm | yes | 48.5 | Measured | Lind et al. 2014; Longcore 2023 |
| Northern leopard frog Lithobates pipiens | 2 | 502, 562 nm | no | 35.7 (merge) | Measured (not re-verified) | Yovanovich et al. 2017; Longcore 2023 |
| Common buzzard Buteo buteo | 4 | 405, 449, 504, 567 nm | no | 106.2 | Measured | Lind et al. 2014; Longcore 2023 |
| Mallard Anas platyrhynchos | 4 | 417.5, 452, 501, 570 nm | no | 53.4 | Measured | Lind et al. 2014; Longcore 2023 |
| Indian peafowl Pavo cristatus | 4 | 422.5, 457, 505, 566 nm | no | 48.3 | Measured | Lind et al. 2014; Longcore 2023 |
| Rook Corvus frugilegus | 4 | 372.5, 443, 497, 565 nm | yes | 104.5 | Measured | Lind et al. 2014; Longcore 2023 |
| Blue tit Cyanistes caeruleus | 4 | 371.5, 448, 503, 563 nm | yes | 51.9 | Measured | Lind et al. 2014; Longcore 2023 |
| House sparrow Passer domesticus | 4 | 371.5, 445, 503, 563 nm | yes | 104 | Measured | Lind et al. 2014; Longcore 2023 |
| Common blackbird Turdus merula | 4 | 373, 454, 504, 557 nm | yes | 48.7 | Measured | Lind et al. 2014; Longcore 2023 |