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How can a color filter change what a jumping spider sees?

Some jumping spiders have a retinal filter that changes the light reaching particular receptor cells, shifting their sensitivity toward red. The filter covers only part of the retina. Explore how this arrangement can expand color information and what it might mean for the way a spider examines a scene.

3–5 min

Questions you could explore

  • How could a limited patch of color-sensitive vision affect the way a spider examines a scene?
  • How does placing a filter in front of a receptor differ from adding a new receptor type?

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