New Study Finds Cats Actually Glow and People Don't Even Realize It
If you have ever looked at your beloved cat while in a dark room and thought that it appeared that they were glowing, you aren't wrong. A new study published October 4 by researchers from the Western Australian Museum and Curtin University found that certain mammals, including cats, emit fluorescence under ultraviolet light.
That's right, our cats are even cooler than previously thought!
ABC News reports, "Researchers studied 125 mammal species -- both preserved and frozen -- held in museum collections for the presence of "apparent fluorescence" under UV light, finding "apparent fluorescence" in all mammal specimens investigated to varying degrees."
This study included cats, and fluorescent compounds were found in bones, teeth, claws, fur, feathers and skin. The compounds were also found in other mammals including polar bears, bats and leopards.
The article also states, "The most fluorescent animals were found to be all white or with lighter colored fur, which represented 107 out of 125 species, of about 86%."
What the article doesn't state is how this helps animals or if it aids in their survival, so it's just basically a cool little factoid. It also didn't state if we can investigate this further in our own living rooms by checking out our own kitties using a UV light.
I guess it is just something we all have to be content with knowing even if we don't always see it, that it's not just our cats eyes that glow in the dark, it can be their bones and fur too! Just another reason why cats are absolutely the coolest.
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