Researchers have discovered that reindeer use ultraviolet light waves to see in the artic. Professor Glen Jeffery said "We discovered that reindeer can not only see ultraviolet light but they can also make sense of the image to find food and stay safe. Humans and almost all other mammals could never do this as our lenses just don't let UV through into the eye." They have also tested the reindeer's vision to see what wavelengths they could see. Results show they can handle wavelenghts down to around 350-320nm. The measurements determine it is ultraviolet, or UV. Reindeers use UV to stay clear of potential harmful predators by seeing urine-a sign of predators which they avoid.
I think reindeer use this or see in ultraviolet due to the fact that they live somewhere when the snow reflects almost 90% of UV rays. Humans don't always live in the Artic so there is no reason for our eyesight to change or adapt. Questions have arised from researchers how reindeer can eyes are not damaged, but our would if we looked at UV rays. I think the answer is because humans simply don't use or need UV to survive. Our eyes could be weaker and less tolerant of the UV rays due to that fact we don't use it everyday, while the reindeer has strentghened its eyes and lived off of this tatic to live.
http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2011/05/26/reindeer_see_a_werid_and_wonderful_world_of_ultraviolet_light.html
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