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| A golden eye from a summer reindeer (right) and a blue peeper from a winter reindeer (left) (source) |
According to the Live Science article, reindeer eyes change color between the summer and winter months.
In the summer, the eyes are a golden, and in the winter they're blue.
This isn't due to an actual change in the color but rather because of a change in internal pressure within the eye that then compresses the collagen fibers in the reflective layer of the eye which then either reflects more light out of the eye - in the summer to protect against the long days of near total sunlight - or reflects more light within the eye - in the winter during the sun-less days and nights...which then makes the eyes change color to the observers.
Nature is phenomenal, and the fact that those sorts of genetic differences were selected for it stunning.
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