Can insects see human colors?

Even though most insects are able to see wavelengths of light invisible to us, like ultraviolet light, the vast majority of animals are unable to see as far into the red end of the spectrum as humans. And insects aren’t an exception.

This is one of the reasons why some studies on animals are done with a red light: the researchers can see them, while the animals can’t. Even some zoo with nocturnal animals implement this.

As previously said, insects can see into a wide range of frequencies, but red isn’t usually one of them, as you can see from this chart comparing different insects’ species visual spectrum.

The gray at the left of the chart represents ultraviolet, while the branches stand for the evolutionary relationships among the different insects.

There is only one specie whose vision extends into the red at all, and even then not by much. Just a few of others insects reach into what we see as orange.

But most of these insects families see mainly in the violet, green and ultraviolet, by far.

The reason why that is the case, is not entirely understood yet.

It’s possibly due to a combination of advantages, like making food easier to find, desirable mates clearer to distinguish, and home an easier place to return to.