Question

Fill the most suitable option. Mosquitoes and some snakes find their food using vision in the _______ range.
(A) infrared
(B) ultraviolet
(C) radio
(D) microwave
(E) visible light

Answer 1

Hint
We can only feel the infrared light as heat but several cold blooded animals are evolved in such a way that they can see the infrared light of the spectrum. Snakes and mosquitoes use this ability to find warm blooded creatures for prey.

Complete step by step answer
The light that is visible to humans, and named as the visible light, is only a part of the spectrum. There are several cold blooded creatures that evolve to see various other forms of light. One of them is the infrared light. We cannot see that infrared light but can feel it in the form of heat. None of the warm blooded creatures can see infrared light as their own body releases heat.
Snakes have the receptors that allow them to see the infrared light in the dark. They can see the heat that is released from the body of their prey as the protein channels are activated by heat.
A few blood sucking insects like mosquitoes also have the ability of infrared vision. They use the body heat and also the heat signature of carbon-dioxide that all creatures naturally exhale.

Note
The infrared light or the infrared radiation is invisible to the human eye. We can only feel it in the form of heat. All kinds of objects in the universe emit some level of the infrared radiation. A few very common examples of the source of infrared radiation are fire and the sun. Many of our household appliances use infrared radiation to transmit heat, such as toasters or heat lamps.