Animals are capable of things that humans need special technology to be able to do.
Some animals are capable of seeing infrared light, and they use this ability to their advantage in whatever setting they may be in.
Both predator and prey have infrared vision.
25 Animals That Can See Infrared
1. Pit Viper
Pit vipers are the animals that are best known to be able to see infrared light.
The “pit” in their names come from the special pit organs that rest right above the snake’s nose.
They use those pits in order to get a sense of the area they are living in.
These snakes can be found all over the world, especially in North, South, and Central America.
Pit vipers are so venomous that zookeepers use tongs to feed them in order to avoid their fangs.
These snakes eat small rodents and birds.
Pit vipers are one of the few snakes to have live births.
They are ovoviviparous, which means that their eggs develop and hatch inside the mother.
Once the hatchlings leave their mother after birth, they are completely independent.
2. Zebrafish
Zebrafish are incredible creatures that fascinate scientists from all different fields of study.
Their ability to see infrared light is only one of a few amazing abilities that this fish has.
They are also able to grow back parts of themselves at any age.
Scientists and medical researchers use zebrafish to study many different diseases and other illnesses.
The zebrafish is used to study heart disease, immune disease, eye damage, muscular dystrophy, and even cancer.
Zebrafish are extremely adaptable animals and can be easily genetically modified.
GloFish are an example of domesticated zebrafish that have been genetically modified to change their appearance, giving the store-bought fish dazzling shades of pink, green, and blue.
3. Black Fire Beetle
While most insects with infrared vision use it to find prey or avoid danger, the black fire beetle has a special use for its infrared sight.
They use this ability to find freshly burnt logs to lay their eggs in and use the forest fire disaster as a way to keep their eggs safe.
Black fire beetles get to forest fires faster than the local fire department with their infrared vision and their extremely active thermoreceptors.
They use their infrared vision to find the safest place inside burning logs for the young to be born.
These black beetles are the same color as the char they nest in.
4. Salmon
Salmon are anadromous fish that are able to switch the light they are able to see as well as they can switch the type of water they’re living in.
Changing the proteins in their eyes, salmon are able to see infrared light.
Salmon will breed and lay their eggs in the same rivers that they were born in.
The adult salmon then must swim upstream in order to get back to their hatching grounds.
The most common time that salmon will use infrared light is when going upstream in order to breed.
This process ensures that only the strongest salmon are breeding, making the next generation of salmon even tougher than the last.
5. Bullfrog
Bullfrogs have a special way of seeing infrared light.
They just use a special enzyme called “Cyp27c1” in order to rapidly change all the vitamins A1 into vitamins A2.
These frogs have a massive range of visible colors.
Bullfrogs are also able to breathe through their skin while underwater.
They are also able to close their nostrils to prevent water from seeping into their lungs.
Their lungs are powerful and are used for calling out to potential mates.
6. Guppy
Guppies are known for being easy pets to take care of, but they may not be known for their ability to see infrared light.
Guppies and zebrafish are relatives that share this rare ability.
Guppies may be great at seeing in the dark thanks to their infrared vision, but they’re even better at breeding.
Similar to humans, guppies have live births, and the average female guppy creates 50 offspring each month.
Guppies supply their local ecosystem with plenty of food, including for themselves.
These fish will cannibalize their own young when there are too many of them.
7. Common Rose Butterfly
The common rose butterfly uses thermoreceptors on its wings and antennae to sense the world around them.
They use their infrared vision as a way to avoid predators.
Common rose butterflies are seen as vastly less desirable by their predators due to their taste.
Their coloring and pattern acts as a warning to predators that they may not want to eat this butterfly.
This tactic is effective in that the common Mormon butterfly will mimic the common rose butterfly.
These sleek butterflies are most black with black and red bodies.
Their wings are 3 to 3.5 inches long.
8. Green Swordtail
The green swordtail is a peculiar-looking fish that has a long, sharp tail fin that is only found on males.
These freshwater fish use their infrared vision in order to see through the murky waters that they live in.
Green swordtails can be found in any source of fresh water, whether it be a babbling brook or a ditch on the side of the road.
These fish thrive in waters that are filled with aquatic plants, but they will eat anything that they can fit in their mouths.
Although the green swordtail is from Central America, it can commonly be found in places such as Florida.
Similar to guppies, green swordtails also have live births rather than hatching their young from eggs.
9. Cottonmouth Snake
The cottonmouth snake is known for its venomous fangs and violent tendencies.
Similar to pit vipers, cottonmouth snakes are also able to see thanks to their pit organs.
However, cottonmouth snakes tend to be much larger than most pit vipers.
Cottonmouth snakes can grow to be between 2.5 feet and 6 feet in length.
They use their infrared vision to find prey above and below the water.
These snakes will eat anything that their infrared vision can see, whether it be fish, birds, rodents, baby alligators, or even other snakes.
Cottonmouth snakes are nocturnal hunters, which helps give them clearer infrared vision.
If they bite fish and frogs, they will hold them in their jaw until the venom takes effect.
They will bite and release any animal that is capable of biting back, but they never give up a fight.
10. Vampire Bat
Vampire bats are one of the very few mammals with the ability to see through infrared senses.
These bats know that where there is heat, there is blood.
A vampire bat needs to drink about half of its weight in blood each night because it only takes them two days to starve to death.
Cows, horses, pigs, and birds are the most common victims of the vampire bat’s quest for blood.
It is rare they will attack a human for their blood.
Thanks to their impressive night vision, vampire bats can spot their prey from 130 feet away.
11. Mosquito
Mosquitos and vampire bats use their infrared vision for the same reason; spotting prey with plenty of well-circulated blood.
Mosquitos don’t just use their thermoreceptors in order to find their victim, but they also use it to find the perfect place to bite.
Only female mosquitoes will bite and drain human blood.
Our blood has the exact nutrients that the female mosquito needs in order to be able to create and develop her eggs.
While a mosquito’s bite may be a nuisance, there is more to worry about than just a bump on your skin and some itching.
Mosquitos are capable of carrying diseases such as malaria, dengue, and zika, which kills almost a million people each year.
12. Mantis Shrimp
The mantis shrimp has some of the best eyes on the planet.
Their eyes are capable of seeing infrared and ultraviolet light.
They can perceive the world through 12 different channels of color, which makes the world as colorful as this shrimp.
While humans have to use their eyes and brains in order to truly see the world, mantis shrimps have strips of photoreceptors that directly translate all the information for the mantis shrimp’s brain.
Researchers have used what they’ve learned about the arrangement of the photoreceptors of mantis shrimp and applied it to how satellites work.
Satellites scan the world in strips, similar to the way the eyes of a mantis shrimp work.
13. Golden Birdwing Butterfly
The golden birdwing butterfly uses similar thermoreceptors located on its wings and antennae as the common rose butterfly.
The golden birdwing is one of the larger species of butterfly in Asia, making it a large target for prey.
The golden birdwing has a wingspan of about six inches and can be easily spotted by its yellow and black wings.
They are most active during the late spring and summer months.
Females tend to be larger than males and have larger antennae and abdomens.
14. Goldfish
Goldfish may not have many thoughts going through their heads, but they have vision that is vastly better than that of humans.
Goldfish are able to see a vastly larger spectrum of color than humans.
They are to be infrared light and ultraviolet light.
Goldfish also have an incredible sense of smell.
They use it to find food in the dark.
Goldfish thrive in the darkness thanks to their vision.
Too much light can be harmful for a goldfish.
Goldfish need darkness in order to sleep and give their eyes a break.
The bright light of day or an aquarium light can make it difficult for them to see.
A goldfish that is getting too much light is likely to die sooner due to stress.
15. Copperhead Snake
The copperhead snake is another snake that has a pit organ that it uses to sense infrared light.
Their copper-colored bodies slither across dried leaves and dirt, blending in with their surroundings.
Thanks to their infrared vision, their prey’s camouflage is rendered useless.
These aggressive snakes are willing to bite any creature that threatens it or makes the snake hungry.
However, their venom isn’t as lethal as that of some of their relatives.
It is extremely uncommon to die from a copperhead snake bite.
Copperhead snakes can grow anywhere from two to three feet, with females tending to be larger than males.
These snakes can be found all around the United States in wooded areas and forests.
16. Kissing Bug
Kissing bugs are blood-sucking bugs that use their thermoreceptors to find warm-blooded prey.
They can be found in South, Central, and now North America. In the US, one can find them in states such as Texas, Arizona, Mississippi, Arkansas, Utah, Louisiana, Tennessee, and California.
Similar to ticks, kissing bugs are prone to carry a disease that can be transferred to their host from the bug.
Over half of all kissing bugs are infected with a parasite called trypanosoma cruzi that can cause Chagas disease.
17. Piranha
Piranhas are one of the few fish that are able to change the proteins and vitamins in their eyes in order to give themselves infrared vision.
With how ferocious these fish are seen as being, you may think that infrared vision is the last ability they need.
There’s no doubt behind how much damage piranha’s have the potential to do, but piranhas aren’t as bloodthirsty as society thinks they are.
They only become extremely aggressive if they haven’t eaten in a long time.
Most of the bad reputation was earned thanks to what President Theodore Roosevelt wrote about them in his book Through the Brazilian Wilderness.
The town where Roosevelt was staying wanted to put on a show for Roosevelt by throwing a cow into water with some piranhas they had captured and starved.
18. Python
Pythons use their infrared vision in combination with their incredible sense of smell in order to find their prey quickly and effectively.
They use their tongues to taste the air, trying to get a read on the closest meal they can find.
Unlike many snakes that prefer to rush after their prey, pythons prefer to lie still waiting for their prey to come to them.
They will ambush their prey once they are close enough.
19. Tilapia
Tilapia use their infrared vision in order to see through even the murkiest waters.
The Nile tilapia use their vision in order to evade the many predators that it shares the Nile River with.
Tilapia have been an important fish throughout history.
They are often called “Saint Peter’s fish” because it is believed to be the type of fish that Peter found with a shekel coin in its mouth, as described in the Bible.
20. Boa Constrictor
Boa constrictors are another kind of snake with the ability to see infrared light.
They rely on their infrared vision in order to catch prey on their nightly hunts, where they hunt a variety of birds and mammals.
The boa constrictor is a massive snake that is capable of eating larger prey.
These snakes can easily grow anywhere from eight to 10 feet, but have been seen getting as large as 12 feet.
Weighing up to 60 pounds, boa constrictors can live for up to 35 years.
21. Bed Bug
Bed bugs live and thrive in the darkest parts of dirty furniture and mattresses, which is where they got their name.
These pests use their infrared vision in order to find their target and where their target has recently been.
Bed bugs are about the size of a pinhead, making them barely visible. In one feeding, a bed bug will consume seven times its weight in blood.
When well fed, females can produce eggs every single day, which totals up to about 500 eggs in a lifetime.
22. Rattlesnakes
Rattlesnakes have many unique features which help them maintain their status as one of the top predators in their environment.
They are able to use their infrared vision to hunt down birds, rabbits, and mice.
A rattlesnake also has a rattle made of keratin.
It is used to communicate with other rattlesnakes and to scare off predators that may come for the rattlesnake.
Their curved fangs inject venom into their targets.
23. Cichlid
Cichlids are freshwater fish that avoid enemies using their ability to see infrared light.
Cichlids are a family of fish that include notable fish such as angelfish.
These fish can be found all over the world, with each country having its own unique cichlid that looks vastly different from the last.
These hardy herbivores are perfect for those who are looking to get their first aquarium.
Their bright colors, sturdy health, and ability to get along with other fish makes them the perfect beginner’s pick.
24. Carp
Carps are some of the most common fish to find in ponds and other bodies of freshwater.
These fish thrive in murky water, which keeps them out of sight of predators without impairing their infrared vision.
Carp eat any plant, insect, or aquatic invertebrate it can find.
The cover from predators provided by the murky water and easy prey allows the carp to grow anywhere between one and two feet.
On average, carps weigh one to eight pounds, but they are capable of reaching 30 to 40 pounds.
25. Dog
Dogs may not fully have infrared vision, but they do have an incredibly powerful infrared sense that they use in combination with their vision.
This combination was so closely wound that it made scientists question whether or not dogs were simply using some form of infrared vision.
With their nose, dogs are able to sense thermal radiation that comes off the bodies of other living creatures.
Visually impaired dogs use their infrared sense to spot prey, despite not being able to truly see.
Blind dogs will combine their infrared senses with their sense of smell.
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