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tapetum lucidum

Definitions

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A layer of tissue in the eye of many vertebrate animals, immediately behind or sometimes within the retina, that reflects visible light so as to increase the light available to the photoreceptors.

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Latin tapetum ("tapestry") and lūcidum ("bright, shining, clear") the neuter of lūcidum, literally "bright tapestry".

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  • Please see its Wiki entry here

    April 25, 2009

  • "Dogs also have a tapetum lucidum, a highly reflective layer of cells located behind the retina, which adds to their superior low-light vision. By reflecting light back through the retina, the tapetum lucidum doubles the photoreceptor's opportunity to react to each quantum of light. It also makes a dog's eyes, when illuminated at night, appear to glow."

    —Merrily Weisbord and Kim Kachanoff, Dogs with Jobs: Working Dogs Around the World (NY and London: Pocket Books, 2000), xvii.

    July 25, 2009