For many years we have speculated on the visual acuity of cryptid creatures. Some suggest that they can see in the dark due to their nocturnal nature. Others relate these creatures having the ability to seamlessly move around in total darkness, and do so as they are observed doing during the daytime. This detracts from the sole belief that they are nocturnal. Is it possible that these creatures are not nocturnal, but have the ability to see in darkness due to the make up of their eyes?
According to Ron Douglas; a biologist at City University London in England there are facts to support this. Being the leader of a study to investigate this idea has proven some interesting conclusions regarding animal sight. Humans have lenses in our eyes that filter out ultraviolet light frequencies. it has been learned that animals previously thought to not have the ability to see in this spectrum can. This is due to their not being a lens in the eye of some animals that filters out UV light. The study measured the amount of light that is able to pass through the lens of the animals’ eye to its retina. Primates were included in this study, but there was no clarification in the article as to the result as it pertained to them. They were able to conclude that many animals (hedgehogs, dogs, cats, ferrets, okapis) have lenses allowing ultraviolet light to pass through. This suggests that they may be able to see the ultraviolet spectrum. The conclusion was also reached that non-nocturnal animals also have the ability to see the ultraviolet spectrum. (Lewis)
We have all heard different researchers relate that they see different color variants of animal eye shine when they are researching in their areas. Colors typically range from white, yellow, amber, red, and blue. There are some who report seeing one color, and then over a short period of time the color changes to a different color altogether. I have had the interesting experience of observing this myself. While I can’t say for a fact that the observed creature was a cryptid, but I can relate the experience as it happened.
One night the dog of the residence was upset about something in a small wooded area across a field opening that was maybe sixty yards wide. Being curious as to what had the dog so irritated I went to investigate with a bright flashlight. Upon scanning the area I could see a large group of fallen trees that had been pushed into a pile. The trees in the pile were loosely packed and there were gaps in between them that made the pile much taller than if they had been cut and piled in a burn pile type fashion. (I learned this the next day when I walked to the pile to investigate. The piled trees were taller than me in places, and nearing six feet in height.) On top of one of the upper logs I could see a pair of eyes. They were giving off a white reflection and that led me to believe that the creature could have been a raccoon sitting on the log, and facing my direction. The eye shine never moved during the whole incident until the end, but occasionally there was an obvious blink. I stood there looking at this possible raccoon and thought it a bit odd that there was no side to side movement like you would see with a raccoon. Whatever this thing was intently stared in my direction, and was being perfectly still.
There was a blink, and instantly the eye shine changed from white to a yellow amber color. This intrigued me, because I had never seen anything like this before. I stood there with my flashlight on this creature, and was trying to make out what it could be. There was no obvious shape, just eye shine. After a few blinks in the amber phase I continued to try to figure out what this was. Verification was not forthcoming! As I stood there looking at the eye shine; there was a blink, and the eye shine changed from yellow amber to a bright red color. The eye shine continued to gaze in my direction for three, or so minutes before it pivoted to its left and disappeared into the darkness.
I can’t say beyond a shadow of a doubt that this was a cryptid, but I can say that this took place in an area where cryptids have been encountered. I believe that we should relate things as they are and not speculate without anything factual. If I saw it; I saw it, but if I didn’t I shouldn’t give invalid information as fact. There’s too much of that going on in our interest area. We should strive to be objective in our research, and eliminate the known as a possibility before we entertain the unknown.
I have speculated for a long time what it was that I observed that night. Did I observe an unknown ability that a known animal has, or was it something else? I will never know for sure, but it does provide an interesting insight into the possibilities when it comes to determining the visual abilities of known and unknown creatures. The study conducted by Ron Douglas also gives us good scientific data that we can utilize in formulating theories in our research. The key concept is to attempt to validate what you are seeing, and to keep skepticism at the forefront until all other avenues are exhausted. In doing so; our research not only becomes more defined, but also increases in validity.
Lewis, Tanya. “Cats and Dogs May See in Ultraviolet.” LiveScience, 18 Feb 2014, https://www.livescience.com/43461-cats-and-dogs-see-in-ultraviolet.html. Accessed 16 July 2019