Revision Notes

Class – 5 Environmental Studies

Chapter 1: Super Senses

Summary of Super Senses

 Animals have different senses.

 They can see, hear, taste, smell, and feel.
 Some animals can see their prey from a great distance. Even the tiniest sound
can be heard by some animals.
 Some animals can recognize their friends based on their fragrance.

Animals with different types of super senses:

Eagle: An eagle has good eyesight it can see its prey from a far distance easily and
plans an attack over it strategically.

Image: Eagle

Dog: A dog can listen to the faintest sound around it and have a good power of smell.
The smell they sniff once they never forget.
 Dogs mark their territory on the road. They can tell if another dog has entered
their territory by the smell of its urine or potty (latrine).

Image: Dog

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Ants: Ants do have a keen sense of smell and the antenna-like structure helps them
to reach the food quickly and identify each other whether they are from the same
group or not.

Image: Ants
 The ants leave a smell on the ground as they move around. To find their way,
the other ants follow the smell.
 Some male insects can smell their females and recognize them.
 Mosquitoes can detect one’s presence by smelling one’s skin. They can also
detect us by the smell of our soles and the warmth of our bodies.
 The majority of the birds have eyes on both sides of their heads.
 Their eyes are capable of focusing on two different things at the same time.
 When they stare straight ahead, both of their eyes are drawn to the same thing.
 The eyes of the majority of birds are fixed and cannot move. As a result, birds
must turn their heads to see around.
 Kites, eagles, and vultures, for example, can see four times as far as we can.
 These birds can see things that we can see from a distance of two meters from
a distance of eight meters.

Do animals see colors?

 Animals are unable to see as many colors as humans.

Image: Colors

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  Animals that are awake during the day are thought to be able to see some
colors.
 Those animals that are awake at night can only see black and white images.

Sounds send messages

 A langur, sitting atop high in a tree, warns others of impending dangers such
as a tiger or leopard. This is done by the langur transmitting a distinct warning
call.
 Alarm calls are also made by birds to warn of possible dangers.
 Some birds even have distinct sounds for various types of dangers. If the
enemy is approaching from the sky, for example, the warning call is different
than if the enemy is approaching from the ground.
 Electric signals are used by fish to signal danger.
 When an earthquake or storm is approaching, some animals begin to act
differently.
 People who live in the forest and can observe such animal behavior are aware
of the danger.
 Dolphins use a variety of sounds to communicate with one another.
 Many animals, according to scientists, have their special language.

Sleeping-waking

 During certain seasons, some animals go into a long, deep sleep.

 A sloth sleeps for nearly 17 hours a day while dangling upside down from a
tree branch.
 The sloth feeds on the leaves of the same tree that it calls home. It doesn't
require much else.

Tigers

 A tiger's night vision is six times better than the average human.
 The whiskers of a tiger are extremely sensitive, and they can detect air
movement or vibrations.
 They assist the tiger in moving in the dark and locating its prey.

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  A tiger's hearing is so acute that it can distinguish between the rustling of
leaves and the sound of an animal moving across the grass.
 The tiger's ears can move in different directions, allowing it to hear sounds
from all directions.
 Tigers make various sounds for various reasons, such as when they are angry
or calling out to a tigress.
 It can roar or snarl. Its roar can be heard for up to three kilometers.
 Each tiger has its territory, which can be several kilometers long. Tigers use
their urine to mark their territory.
 The smell of urine can alert a tiger to the presence of another tiger in its
vicinity. A tiger will avoid entering another tiger's territory.
 One of the most alert animals is the tiger. Nonetheless, tigers are in danger
today.
 In our country, the number of tigers and other animals is declining.
 There's a chance that some of them will vanish soon.

Animal Killings

 Elephants are killed for their tusks, rhinos are killed for their horns, and tigers,
crocodiles, and snakes are killed for their skins.
 Musk deer are killed solely to extract a small amount of musk.
 People who kill animals are called hunters and poachers.
 Our government has designated some forests as protected areas to protect the
animals.
 Jim Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand and 'Ghana' in Ghana are two
examples.
 Rajasthan's Bharatpur district. Nobody can hunt animals or destroy the jungle
in these areas.

Tips to remember

 Animals have mainly 5 senses.

 They are seeing, hearing, taste, smelling, and feeling.

Practice questions

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Q 1. Why animals are killed?
Ans: Animals like Elephants are killed for their tusks, rhinos are killed for their
horns, and tigers, crocodiles, and snakes are killed for their skins. Musk deer are
killed solely to extract a small amount of musk.

Q 2. Can human beings also be a threat to animals? How?

Ans: Yes, human beings are also a threat to animals. The increase in the human
population has led to the destruction of forests. This reduces the natural habitat for
animal. Mainly humans kill animals for their skin example, deers are killed for their
skin, elephant for their tusks, rhinos for their horns, tigers for their skin, etc.

Solved Question:

Q 1. How did the ant know that the other ants were not from its group?
Ans: Animals, including ants, have a variety of senses. They are able to see, hear,
smell, and feel. The ant could detect other ants who were not members of its group
using various senses.

Q 2. Have you seen a dog sniffing here and there? What do you think it is trying
to smell?
Ans: Yes, I've noticed dogs sniffing around now and then. By smelling the urine or
faeces of nearby dogs, a dog can detect the presence of other dogs. When a new dog
enters the area, the dog usually detects it by smelling.

Q 3. Sushila covered her nose when she cleaned Deepak’s nappy, but not when
she cleaned her daughter. Why do you think she did this?
Ans: When something is dirty in our eyes, we dislike the way it smells. Sushila
perceived Deepak's diaper as filthy in her case. That's why she had to hide her nose.
She did not consider that her daughter's diaper was dirty as she was cleaning it.

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