A cat’s ability to see in as little as one-sixth of the light needed by humans is attributed to a layer on the back of its retina known as the tapetum lucidum or “bright tapestry”.
This layer gathers the light and reflects it back like a mirror to the light gathering cells of the eye, amplifying it to provide more information in less light.
More information in less light equals more food if you are a leopard (Panthera pardus) in the wild.
Dana Allen
Professional Wildlife and Adventure Photographer, Naturalist, Publisher and Educator. Dana Allen was born in California and raised as a global citizen. As a youth he travelled widely, visiting and living in numerous countries around the world. Acquiring his first camera at the age of 12, Dana’s passion for photography has never dimmed. He studied Fine Art Photography in Arizona and was awarded both a Bachelors and a Masters Degree with highest honours. Dana has taught photography in Universities both in the United States and Zimbabwe. Enthused with the environment and its inhabitants, Dana is dedicated to portraying the natural world around us. He founded PhotoSafari in 1991 and has specialized in photographing wildlife, landscapes and tourism activities in Africa ever since. Millions of viewers have enjoyed his images through various publications, cards, calendars and books.
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