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We are considered as the descended of monkeys or more appropriate apes, then why do our eyes not shine in dark, like them?

6 Answers

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Monkey have a special, reflective surface right behind their retinas called the tapetum lucidum, helps animals see better in the dark.

When light enters the eye, it hit a photoreceptor that transmits the information to the brai. But sometimes the light doesn't hit the photoreceptor, so the tapetum lucidum acts as a mirror to bounce it back for a second chance.

A large number of animals have the tapetum lucidum, including deer, dogs, cats, cattle, horses and ferrets. Humans don't, have  tapetum lucidum  so our eyes don't shine. 
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Thank you, for your answer and the way of your description, it was really helpful to understand the reason behind the shiny eyes of animals.
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Beware of monkey, don't make 'eye-to-eye contact,' Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni warns Marines. ... But studies have shown that direct eye contact with macaques can be taken as a sign of aggression or threatening behavior.
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Humans' eyes are only primates for whom the outline of the eye and the position of the iris are clearly visible. The studies have shown that in monkeys, as in humans, there are neural correlates of eye direction detection. In contrast, the monkey is often darker than human eyes.
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The eyes of some animals, including monkeys, shine in the dark due to a reflective layer behind the retina called the tapetum lucidum. Humans lack this layer, which is why our eyes don't shine in the same way.
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We have dark-colored cells behind our retinas, which absorb light rather than reflect it. The majority of animals displaying eyeshine also are nocturnal animals.
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Our eyes do not seem to glow in the dark, like they do in light. It is because our eyes are designed to be transparent, and because our skin is less efficient at providing light in that area, the light just escapes without being sensed.
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