What kind of animal is almost completely blind at birth?

Visual impairment is not something limited to humans alone, there are certain animals that are almost completely blind at birth. Most of these animals rely on their well-developed senses to live and interact with their environment. One of these animals is a koala joey.

At birth, the newborn koala is blind and does not get any help from its mother as it strives to get to the pouch. Although a newborn koala is blind, it uses its well-developed senses (smell and touch) to get to the pouch of its mother. A newborn koala also has strong claws and front legs which allow it to move in the direction of the pouch.

As soon as it gets to its mother's pouch, it stays there for about 6 months. For this period of six months, Joey, a newborn koala, feeds on a special kind of milk. And after it has fully developed, it feeds on a special substance known as pap, which comes from the intestines of its mother.

There are different types of mammals that are almost completely blind when they are born. If you have seen newborn puppies and kittens, you will see that they can barely open their eyes. It would take weeks before they would start to open their eyes and they will start to see the world around them.

This is also the same for rabbits. They are usually born blind which means that they are very dependent on their parents for a certain period of time. Their eyes are closed and seem to be fused together. After some time, their eyes will also start to open and function normally.

There are quite a number of animals that are born blind, and these include the golden mole. It finds its prey by using its hearing abilities, and it sticks its head in the sand and can detect the smallest movement. The star mossed mole has a habitat that ranges from Canada to Georgia.

Cavefish can only be found in a cave that has a flow to it, and they do not have functional eyes and pigmentation; although, they have sensory papillae. Texas Blind Salamanders live in caves, and their eyes are small and hidden under the skin. Salamanders spend their whole lives not being able to see.

Kittens are also born blind with their eyes shut, and they do not start to open until they are about two weeks old. Even after opening its eyes, a kitten's vision will be blurry for another week before the kitty sees clearly. Newborn puppies are born unsighted and deaf, and puppies may be born blind due to a malformation in their mother's womb.