Top 10 Animals With Night Vision

The great horned owl is one predator that rodents surely can’t stand the sight of…if they manage to see them at all, that is. A native of North and South America, the great horned owl is a fierce hunter, thanks in part to its incredible nighttime vision and its ability to rotate its head up to 270 degrees. Sometimes called the hoot owl, or tiger owl, this bird can spot its prey from a distance, even after the sun has long since set. Cats and smaller dogs beware; the great horned owl has been known to snatch larger mammals on occasion!

You’ll probably be ducking for cover next time you see one of these bad boys! Although you needn’t worry, as the straw-coloured fruit bat’s diet mostly consists of fruits, flowers, leaves and nectar. Found primarily in Africa below the Sahara desert, straw-coloured fruit bats generally feed at night, though they aren’t afraid to venture out during the daytime. While they don’t pose much of a threat to humans, the fact that they have excellent night vision and can travel in colonies of up to 1 million is enough to scare the bejesus out of pretty much anyone.

This little guy doesn’t have a long trunk or thick grey skin, but it does have an incredible color pallet and the ability to see quite well in the dark! The elephant hawk-moth can be found in a number of places across the globe, including Great Britain, Russia, China and parts of southern Asia. Its night vision is so good that it can distinguish between different colors in extreme low light environments. This is an advantage that humans don’t have, which is why we tend to see things in grayish-shades when the lights are low.

When it comes to insects with the coolest eyes, you’d be hard pressed to find one that could hold a candle to the dragonfly. Dragonflies have massive eyes that cover the majority of their head, a 360 degree field of vision and the ability to see in ways human beings could only dream of. And they can also see incredibly well at night! Which makes them a truly fearsome predator in relation to all those flying insects with terrible sight. Dragonflies also have three tiny eyes called ocelli, which enables them to detect the smallest movements and react at astonishing speeds. Thank god we aren’t mosquitos!

There’s only one place in the entire world where you can see these little guys up close and personal and that’s Madagascar and its surrounding islands. The leaf tailed gecko, occasionally referred to as the flat tailed gecko, is a species of nocturnal lizards whose diet consists exclusively of insects. Their vertical pupils expand in lower light enabling them to see incredibly well in the dark. This certainly makes searching for bugs a whole lot easier once the sun has set! Between their incredible night vision and their naturally camouflaged skin, this is one reptile you’d have a hard time finding in the dark!

The eight-eyed ogre-faced spider is one of the last things you’d want to face after the sun has set. Their middle two eyes are quite large and coated in a layer of light sensitive membrane, and they truly set these spiders apart from others within their species. This enables them to see perfectly in the dark, but is so delicate, that the morning light destroys it. Which is okay, because this baby just reproduces a new set the next night. If you aren’t scared yet, consider this: the ogre-faced spider catches its prey by dropping a pre-made net on top of them. Creepy!

This deep sea creature has one of the most unique sets of eyes you’ll ever see. Then again, you’ll probably never see them in person as most spookfish tend to hang out 3000-7500 feet below the ocean surface. Spookfish have what can best be described as a mirror within their eye structure, which allows them to see both up and down simultaneously. Their unique eye structure also enables them to see incredibly well in the dark. Which means if you ever find yourself in their neck of the watery woods, don’t count on being able to sneak up on them.

If there is one crustacean you should never pick a fight with, it’s this one! The mantis shrimp packs one hell of a punch, as its insanely sharp claws have the ability to shatter glass and slice through prey with one strike. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Their eyes are made up of tiny cells called ommatidia, which have a variety of functions. These include being able to distinguish between ultraviolet and infrared light as well as the ability to tune their vision to whatever environment they happen to be in. Their eyes are situated at the ends of two long stalks, and are considered some of the most complex in the entire world.

Feel free to gush over how cute these little guys are… we totally did. Tarsiers can be found in southeast Asia and are known for their large eyes. In fact, with a diameter of roughly 0.6 of an inch, a tarsier’s eye is as large as its brain! Nocturnal in nature, the tarsier is mainly insectivorous, but will sometimes eat birds, bats and even snakes! Seeing as how they are primarily active at night the tarsier has incredible night vision. Couple with a head that can rotate 180 degree, this is one tree climbing primate that should be avoided after dusk!

If you ever come across one of these bad boys, be sure to take a picture, because they rarely make public appearances. Documented encounters with the colossal squid are unfortunately rare, but they are truly exceptional beasts. Their eyes are the largest on earth and come in handy when trying to locate prey in their home more than 7000 feet below sea level. The lack of light at that depth means they need to be able to see incredibly well in low light. All in all this is one deep sea creature we hope to never cross paths with!