Animal Senses

Humans have sharp senses, which we use explore our environment. Vibrations in the air, light, and chemicals in our food and in the air give us the information we need to survive. But some animals have taken those senses and, through evolution, turned them into marvels of biological engineering.

The first sense to evolve in the first animals was chemoreception. It means being able to detect chemicals in the animal’s environment. This helps animals find prey and mates, and to sense predators from a distance.

The sense of touch is useful to feel physical forces such as bites, changes in temperature, texture, etc. Some animals have become extra sensitive to feel very faint vibrations, which give them a lot of information about their environment.

Seeing the world is one of the most amazing animal adaptations. Different types of eyes give animals different types of vision, and in some cases they can be extraordinary.

Sound waves are produced by movement. Animals have evolved organs to detect those sound waves in the air or water to perceive movements in their environment. This can be used to find prey, predators, and mates. These are some of the animals that have mastered the sense of hearing.

Some animals have senses that humans can’t even conceive. With those powers they can do marvelous things.