Post by prism_wolf on Jul 12, 2004 14:09:51 GMT -8
Got this site from the UVB_Meter_Owner group.
www.naturfotograf.com/index2.html
It's pretty neat and allows us to see how igs may see flowers in their world. It also gives a little insight as to why reds are so popular with them as a food item. Ultraviolet is largely red in colors...and the other colors also come out extraordinarily bright.
Here's a quick piece from MK's site on UVB-A:
www.naturfotograf.com/index2.html
It's pretty neat and allows us to see how igs may see flowers in their world. It also gives a little insight as to why reds are so popular with them as a food item. Ultraviolet is largely red in colors...and the other colors also come out extraordinarily bright.
Here's a quick piece from MK's site on UVB-A:
The Other Ultraviolet
Most discussions of ultraviolet wavelengths address UVB. There is, however, another segment in the ultraviolet spectrum that is also critically important. UVA (320-400 NM) is the range in which reptiles, and many other animals, can see. What looks like a faintly red-orange anole dewlap to us is a bright, fiery red beacon to another anole. That pretty blue tongue in a blue-tongue skink's mouth is bright fluorescent pink to another blue-tongue skink. Reptiles also have more color receptors in their eyes and so are able to better discriminate colors than are humans.
While all senses play an important role to reptiles, vision is probably one of the most versatile. The wavelengths they are able to perceive play roles in color perception which in turn affects appetite. Reds are redder, greens greener, yellows yellower. Transformed, then, is the rather bland, largely monotonous pile of greens, vegetables and fruits. For a reluctant feeder, the presence or absence of UVA may mean the difference between feeding, weight gain and growth, or malnutrition (due to chronic starvation) and stunted development.
Natural behaviors, too, may be stimulated by UVA. From thermoregulatory triggers that tell the reptile when to bask, feed, and find a sleeping spot for the night, to cues triggering onset of hormonal changes that kick off the breeding season, to tracking and identifying conspecifics in the environment (much like way a dog can learn about an interloper from smelling urine, many reptiles leave - and can read - UV sensitive trails or markers in their environment). Denying reptiles UVA would be like going through life with only one eye. You could certainly see and function, but you would be missing much of the depth and complexity of your environment. To a reptile, that depth and complexity makes up for the lack of spoken communication and, in many cases, very limited stereo (binocular) vision. To deny them UVA is to reduce their ability to effectively interact with their environment and with other animals in their environment, which in turn leads to chronic low levels of stress.
Most discussions of ultraviolet wavelengths address UVB. There is, however, another segment in the ultraviolet spectrum that is also critically important. UVA (320-400 NM) is the range in which reptiles, and many other animals, can see. What looks like a faintly red-orange anole dewlap to us is a bright, fiery red beacon to another anole. That pretty blue tongue in a blue-tongue skink's mouth is bright fluorescent pink to another blue-tongue skink. Reptiles also have more color receptors in their eyes and so are able to better discriminate colors than are humans.
While all senses play an important role to reptiles, vision is probably one of the most versatile. The wavelengths they are able to perceive play roles in color perception which in turn affects appetite. Reds are redder, greens greener, yellows yellower. Transformed, then, is the rather bland, largely monotonous pile of greens, vegetables and fruits. For a reluctant feeder, the presence or absence of UVA may mean the difference between feeding, weight gain and growth, or malnutrition (due to chronic starvation) and stunted development.
Natural behaviors, too, may be stimulated by UVA. From thermoregulatory triggers that tell the reptile when to bask, feed, and find a sleeping spot for the night, to cues triggering onset of hormonal changes that kick off the breeding season, to tracking and identifying conspecifics in the environment (much like way a dog can learn about an interloper from smelling urine, many reptiles leave - and can read - UV sensitive trails or markers in their environment). Denying reptiles UVA would be like going through life with only one eye. You could certainly see and function, but you would be missing much of the depth and complexity of your environment. To a reptile, that depth and complexity makes up for the lack of spoken communication and, in many cases, very limited stereo (binocular) vision. To deny them UVA is to reduce their ability to effectively interact with their environment and with other animals in their environment, which in turn leads to chronic low levels of stress.