What We Can Learn From the Eyes of Nature

Without getting too philosophical about we are nature, and nature is us, the simple fact is we live in a world we barely understand. See what the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History is doing to let us learn more about what animal see that humans cannot.

No animals were harmed in the making of this video. All animals are part of the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History's collection and come from zoos, private collections and rehabilitation centers.

August 02, 2021

By: Ian Shive

Show: Nature in Focus

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Photo By: Ian Shive

Dr. Austin Richards, P.h.D. built a custom ultraviolet camera that allows us to see the additional spectrums of UV light, that many birds have been identified as being able to see. Unlike a UVA or blacklight, the images rely on reflectivity, therefore showing us results in black and white.

Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History curator Krista A. Fahy, P.h.D. helps our team identify species that may emit possible UV reflectiveness or fluorescence. Most of the animals here in their collection come from zoos, private collections or rehabilitation centers.

The inside of a western screen owl's wing emits a brighter fluorescent pink, indicating that those are younger feathers. To humans, this is invisible, but our experiment will look to see if perhaps other owls or species are able to see these unique markings. Many birds are able to see in the ultraviolet spectrum, of which a blacklight, used here, is one band of UV (UVA).

We tried many different species, but then had the idea to try other objects animals may see, such as bird eggs. The theory was that they may perhaps emit a unique light, helping birds find a nest or particular individual easier, however in the eggs we tested, we did not get a unique result. That's not uncommon with the scientific process, which has a lot of trial and error...and patience!

After birds, we decided to try some other species as a comparison. Pictured here on the specialized camera system is a flying squirrel.

BEFORE A UVA LIGHT (see next image): The inside of a western screen owl's wing emits a brighter fluorescent pink, indicating that those are younger feathers. To humans, this is invisible, but our experiment will look to see if perhaps other owls or species are able to see these unique markings. Many birds are able to see in the ultraviolet spectrum, of which a blacklight is one band of UV (UVA).

AFTER WITH A UVA LIGHT (see previous image): (see next image): The inside of a western screen owl's wing emits a brighter fluorescent pink, indicating that those are younger feathers. To humans, this is invisible, but our experiment will look to see if perhaps other owls or species are able to see these unique markings. Many birds are able to see in the ultraviolet spectrum, of which a blacklight is one band of UV (UVA).

Our first test was conducted on a puffin, a type of seabird. It did not yield any unique results.

Our "laboratory" was a behind-the-scenes room at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, where we worked with their existing collection of curated specimens with the help of Dr. Krista A. Fahy, P.h.D. (center, right). Dr. Austin Richards P.h.D. assembled the specialized camera and high powered UV light.