Orange eyes? Any ideas?

moonpenny01 · #1 (**permalink**) 08-01-2010, 08:14 PM

Do foxes have orange eyes when you look at them straight on? One night in mid-December I saw two orange eyes looking at me, then an outline of something that looked like a very large cat or medium sized dog with a fluffy tail. It was at night on the outskirts of a village, with a lamp behind me. It moved like a cat not a dog, but the shape of the tail looked like a fox's tail. Having seen foxes before, they always appear to 'trot', so am puzzled. The only other alternative is that it was a large Maine coon (cat). Has anyone got any ideas?

danthekeeper · #2 (**permalink**) 09-01-2010, 04:10 PM

yes a foxes eyes reflect orange in a torch though I have seen some which where a green

moonpenny01 · #3 (**permalink**) 10-01-2010, 09:50 AM

Excellent, thank you!

mbaldw · #4 (**permalink**) 10-01-2010, 10:35 AM

Quote:

orange in a torch though I have seen some which where a green

Eyeshine is a form of iridescence, which means that the colour you see will depend to some extent on the colour of light you're shining at the animal and the angle at which the light it being reflected back at you.

Cheers,
Marc.

danthekeeper · #5 (**permalink**) 10-01-2010, 10:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mbaldw

Eyeshine is a form of iridescence, which means that the colour you see will depend to some extent on the colour of light you're shining at the animal and the angle at which the light it being reflected back at you.

Cheers,
Marc.

Thanks for that the ones I have seen that were greenish tended to be cubs could their age also be a factor?

mbaldw · #6 (**permalink**) 10-01-2010, 11:21 AM

Quote:

the ones I have seen that were greenish tended to be cubs could their age also be a factor?

A very good question - the short answer is that I don't know. I know that tapetum of cats and dogs in general isn't fully developed until about four months old, but I'm afraid I don't know the specifics of the Red fox. If foxes follow the same ocular development as dogs, it may be that cubs could exhibit different coloured eye-shine to adults. It may also be a factor of their overall size - cubs are smaller and closer to the ground than adults, so the reflective angle from a cub's eye to yours is likely to be different from an adult's eyes. Cubs also tend to me more energetically exuberant than adults, which might also affect the angle at which you're viewing the reflected light. I have seen both green and orange/yellow eye-shine in adult foxes, so I do know that green isn't confined to cubs.

You've piqued my curiosity now, so if we get cubs in the garden this year, I'll remove the red filter from my torch and see what colours bounce back!

Cheers,
Marc.