They also said that the reason why the deer are able to see so clearly in the dark and scour for food items such as lichen is because of the eye change. The study was led by Professor Nathaniel Domini, an anthropologist at Dartmouth College in the US, and Dr. Catherine Hobater and professor Julie Harris of the universities of St. Andrews School of Psychology and Neuroscience. Hobater said, quote, to our eyes, just like for most animals, pale lichen and white snow is incredibly hard to spot