Photopigment basis for dichromatic color vision in cows, goats, and sheep.
Electroretinogram (ERG) flicker photometry was used to measure the spectral properties of cones in three common ungulates-cattle (Bos taurus), goats (Capra hircus), and sheep (Ovis aries). Two cone mechanisms were identified in each species. The location of peak sensitivity of an S-cone mechanism varied from about 444 to 455 nm for the three species; analogous values for an M/L-cone were tightly clumped at about 552-555 nm. Each of these three species has the requisite photopigment basis for dichromatic color vision and they are, thus, similar to other ungulates examined earlier.
Neuroscience Research Institute and Department of Psychology, University of California, Santa Barbara 93106, USA.
G H
GH
Jacobs
J F
JF
Deegan
J
J
Neitz
D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle / Q000502:physiology*; D003118:Color Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D004596:Electroretinography; D005260:Female; D006041:Goats / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D017949:Retinal Cone Photoreceptor Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D012168:Retinal Pigments / Q000502:physiology*; D012756:Sheep / Q000502:physiology*
D012168:Retinal Pigments