At Bera, Rajasthan, we were looking for leopards early in the morning. The guide was shining a powerful spotlight which would pick up the shine from the leopard’s eyes; and there he was, sitting amongst the rocks looking towards us. A reflective layer behind the called the tapetum lucidum sends light back through the retina, greatly increasing the amount of light available to be interpreted into an image. This is the basis for the eyeshine and greatly enhances nocturnal vision of these animals.
