Eye shine has a rational explanation.
QUESTION: Why do deer’s eyes shine at night, and can you tell an animal species by the color of the reflection?
ANSWER: White-tailed deer have several adaptations that give them much better night vision than humans, all of which are important for a prey species. One is called a tapetum lucidum. It is a reflective layer on the retina. When light hits the retina, some is absorbed by sight receptors called rods and cones. The light not absorbed is reflected back off the tapetum so more is then absorbed by rods and cones. Some still escapes and we see it as eye shine.
While it’s not diagnostic, the eyes of different species do tend to reflect light back in different colors. With deer, for example, it’s typically white or pale yellow. Some predators like cats, foxes and bears reflect red, while coyotes and mountain lions are yellow-green. However, reflected light color can also vary with environmental conditions, angle of reflection and the color of the original light source.
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