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Are deer colorblind?
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White-tailed deer buck (Odocoileus virginianus) with large antlers stands in tall, dry grass, blending into the brown and tan background of a wooded area.
A deer's face is divided by a dashed line, showing normal color on the right and a yellow-green tinted version on the left. Blue boxes display the words Deer Vision.
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White-tailed deer buck (Odocoileus virginianus) with large antlers stands in tall, dry grass, blending into the brown and tan background of a wooded area.
White-tailed deer Dichromatic vision in white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) allows them to distinguish some—but not all—colors.

Are deer colorblind?

Written by
Kara Rogers
Kara Rogers is the senior editor of biomedical sciences at EncyclopĂŠdia Britannica, where she oversees a range of content from medicine and genetics to microorganisms. She joined Britannica in 2006 and...
Kara Rogers
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Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
Britannica Editors
History

Deer possess dichromatic vision—they see short-wavelength colors, such as blue and violet, and middle-wavelength colors, such as green, but they cannot clearly distinguish long-wavelength colors or those near the red end of the visible spectrum. This is because dichromatic vision depends on two types of light-sensitive cone cells rather than the three types responsible for color vision in humans. Vision originates at the back of the eye, specifically in the retina. This thin layer of...

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