Senses Taylor Bailey Standard 4.L.5 – 4 th Grade

Introduction  In our last lesson, we discussed how different animals adapt to living in different environments.  Today, we will be learning how senses help animals to survive in the wild.

Menu What are senses? SightHearing TasteSmell TouchFacts ReviewConclusion

What are senses?  Senses tell animals what they need to know about the environment.  Sensory Organs are any part of the body that receives signals from the environment.  Examples of sensory organs are:  Eyes  Ears  Nose  Tongue  Hands

How are senses used?  Both animals and humans need their senses to gather information about the environment. Some animals have stronger senses than others.  Dogs have a very strong sense of smell.  Owls and Eagles have excellent eyesight.  Some animals, like bats, use echolocation to see in the dark. Menu

Sight

Signals Detected  Sight sensory organs detect colors, shapes, sizes, space/distance, light, and movement.

 Sight signals are detected using eyes.  Animals’ eyes may differ in type, number, and location on the body.  For example, insects like spiders have many eyes.

How sight is used  To locate food and shelter  To recognize objects and other organisms Menu

Hearing

Signals Detected  Sound sensory organs detect sound and receive vibrations.

 Sound signals are detected using ears in humans and many animals.  Other animals’ hearing organs may differ in type, number, and location on the body.  For example, most birds have ear holes that are always covered by feathers, making it appear as if they do not have ears at all.

How hearing is used  To locate food  To sense danger and avoid predators  Communication Menu

Taste

Signals Detected  Detects flavors  Humans can detect tastes that are salty, sweet, bitter, or sour.

 Both humans and animals have taste buds on tongues.  Other animals may have taste organs that differ in type and location on the body.  For example, a snake uses its tongue to “smell” the chemicals in the air.

How taste is used  Animals use taste to judge which foods are safe to eat. Menu

Smell

Signals Detected  Smell sensory organs detect odors such as the scents of food or other animals in the environment.

 Humans use a nose to smell. However, other animals’ taste organs may differ in type and location on the body.  For example, insects use their antennae to detect odors in the air.

How smell is used  To avoid danger  To find food  To recognize other organisms Menu

Touch

Signals Detected  Touch sensory organs detect shape, size, temperature, texture, pain, vibrations, and pressure.

 Both animals and humans have touch receptors in their skin that detect changes in temperature, texture, or pressure.  Some animals are more sensitive to these changes than others.  For example, a star-nosed mole has six times more touch receptors than a human hand.

How touch is used  To identify food  In reacting to dangerous situations  Communication Menu

Additional facts about animal senses  A dragonfly can spot and object and determine whether or not it is prey within one 500ths of a second. While we see 60 images per second, dragonflies see 200.  A peregrine falcon is capable of seeing objects from a mile away.  An elephant’s hearing allows them to be able to hear a thunderstorm that is 500 kilometers away.

Additional facts about animal senses cont.  Barn owls have ears that are in two different places on its head. This way, they can tell how high or how low a sound is coming from.  Bats see in the dark using what’s called echolocation, meaning that they make calls and listen to the echo that results to map out their location.  Wolverines can smell carcasses that have been frozen deep underground after an avalanche. Menu

Review  How many senses are there? What are they?  What is an example of a sensory organ?  What would an animal use its sense of sight for? Sense of smell? Taste?  True or False: Birds do not have ears.  True or False: Some animals can have more than two eyes. Menu

Conclusion  Today, we have discussed the five senses, what they do, and how animals use them to survive in their environments.  We will review the senses in preparation for a quiz on 8/12.  Study tip: If you are unsure what an animal might use a sense for, just think about what you use that sense for, and which organ is used for detection.  Example: Eyes are used for sight, hands and skin for touch, etc. Menu