Seeing Colour at Night

The nocturnal helmet gecko, Tarentola chazaliae, discriminates colours in dim moonlight when humans are colour blind

The nocturnal helmet gecko, Tarentola chazaliae, discriminates colours in dim moonlight when humans are colour blind

The sensitivity of the helmet gecko eye has been calculated to be 350 times higher than human cone vision at the colour vision threshold. Scientists’ discovery of a series of distinct concentric zones may lead to better cameras and contact lenses. The key to the exceptional night vision of the nocturnal helmet gecko is a series of distinct concentric zones of different refractive powers, according to a study published in the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology’s peer-reviewed online Journal of Vision. “We were interested in the geckos because they—and other lizards—differ from most other vertebrates in having only cones in their retina,” said project leader Lina Roth, PhD, from the Department of Cell and Organism Biology at Lund University in Sweden. “With the knowledge from the gecko eyes we might be able to develop more effective cameras and maybe even useful multifocal contact lenses.”

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