How a Lack of Photoreceptor Cells Causes Most Mammals to Be Less Colorful Than Fish and Birds

SciShow host Olivia Gordon explains why most mammals are not as richly colorful as fish, insects, and birds. As it turns out, color is not perceived well by mammals, as only have two photoreceptor cones inherited from pre-historic times, which are half as much as their swimming, crawling and flying cousins of the animal kingdom.

Birds, bugs, fish and more come in every color of the rainbow, meanwhile mammals seem to offer more generic pallets, and dinosaurs might be to blame.