Animals, including humans, have

sensory organs that allow them to

detect changes in their environments.
 After these changes are detected, the
organism responds with certain
behaviors.

 A behavior is a response to a change in

the environment.
Senses tell animals what they need to know
about their environment.
 Sensory Organs are any part of the body
that receives signals from the environment.

 They help to keep them out of danger and

enable them to find food and shelter.
Many animals have the same type of sense
organs as humans.
In some cases, animals do not have all the
sense organs that humans have.
Signals Detected
•Detects color, shapes, sizes,
space, distance, light, and movement.
Examples of Sensory Organs
•Humans have eyes.
•Other animals’ eyes may differ in type,
number, and in location on the body.
Examples of Behaviors
•Locate food or shelter.
•Recognize objects or other organisms.
SENSE-SATIONAL FACTS
• Your eyes are closed at least 30 minutes a
day just from blinking.
• Owls can see a mouse moving over 150 feet
away with light no brighter than a candle.
• A chameleon's eyes can look in opposite
directions at the same time.
• A newborn baby sees the world upside down
because it takes some time for the baby's
brain to learn to turn the picture right-side
up.
• One in every twelve males is color blind.
Signals Detected
•Receives vibrations and detects sound.
Examples of Sensory Organs
•Humans have ears.
•Other animals’ hearing organs differ in type
and in location on the body.
Examples of Behaviors
•Locate food.
•Sense danger to escape enemies.
•Communications.
SENSE-SATIONAL FACTS
• Children have more sensitive ears than adults.
They can recognize a wider variety of noises.

• Dolphins have the best sense of hearing among

animals. They are able to hear 14 times better than
humans.

• An earache is caused by too much fluid putting

pressure on your eardrum. Earaches are often the
result of an infection, allergies or a virus.

• When you go up to high elevations, the change in

pressure causes your ears to pop.
Signals Detected
•Detect flavors
•Humans detect salty, sweet,
bitter, and/or sour tastes.
Examples of Sensory Organs
•Humans have taste buds on tongues.
•Other animals’ taste organs differ in type and
in location on the body.
Examples of Behaviors
•Judge which foods are okay to eat.
SENSE-SATIONAL FACTS
• We have almost 10,000 taste buds inside
our mouths; even on the roofs of our mouths.

• Insects have the most highly developed sense of

taste. They have taste organs on their feet,
antennae, and mouthparts.

• Fish can taste with their fins and tail as well as

their mouth.

• In general, girls have more taste buds than boys.

Signals Detected
•Detects odors.
Examples of Sensory Organs
•Humans have a nose.
•Other animals’ smelling organs differ in type
and in location on the body.
Examples of Behaviors
•Avoid danger.
•Find food.
•Recognize other organisms.
SENSE-SATIONAL FACTS
• Dogs have 1 million smell cells per nostril and their
smell cells are 100 times larger than humans!

• People who cannot smell have a condition

called Anosmia.

• If your nose is at its best, you can tell the

difference between 4000-10,000 smells!

• As you get older, your sense of smell gets worse.

Children are more likely to have better senses of
smell than their parents or grandparents.
Signals Detected
•Detects shapes, size, temperature, texture,
pain, vibrations, and pressure.
Examples of Sensory Organs
•Humans have a skin.
•Other animals’ touching organs differ
in type and in location on the body.
Examples of Behaviors
•Identify food.
•React to dangerous situations.
•Care for each other.
SENSE-SATIONAL FACTS
• You have more pain nerve endings than any other
type.

• The least sensitive part of your body is the middle of

your back.

• Shivering is a way your body has of trying to get

warmer.

• There are about 100 touch receptors in each of your

fingertips.
 In general, every animal has the senses it
needs for its own environment and way of
life.
 However, some animals need different
information about the world to survive.
 They have senses very different from
humans.
Examples of senses very different from
humans (pictures on next slide).
 Echolocation in bats.
 Night vision of some snakes.
 Electric senses of rays and sharks.
 Magnetic senses of migratory birds,
butterflies, and some whales.
How do humans
and animals use
their senses?