what makes some animals only able to see in black and white?

light is a wave of electromagnetic radiation generated by some source like the sun, or an x-ray machine, or a microwave. The difference in color is related to the wavelength of the wave. We can only see certain wavelengths. The range of wavelengths we can actually see is called visible light. animals can detect certain wavelengths as well. If theWavelenthg is out of their spectrum then they see black and white. The next question you may be asking is, if animals see in color how would we know? After all, we cannot enter inside an animal’s mind to see what the animal sees. There are actually at least three ways that we can find out what an animal sees. First, we can study the cones of a particular animal’s eye to see if the animal has the different types of cones. Second, we can set up experiments where food is placed behind colored doors, for example a red door, and change the position of the doors and see if the animal learns to find the food. Third, there is a phenomenon called optokinetic nystagmus where the eyes will dart back and forth rapidly when staring at moving, alternating bands of color. So if we move alternating bands of red and green in front of an animal and we observe the animal’s eyes moving back and forth, then we would know that red and green looked different to the animal.