The incredible world of animal perception, and what it can teach us
Dec 12, 2023
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Discover the extraordinary sensory abilities of various animals. Learn about the concept of Umbelt and how animals perceive the world differently from humans. Explore the incredible sense of smell in dogs and its social importance. Understand the evolutionary relationship between bees and flowers. Join in as the hosts express gratitude to Ed Young and recommend his book and a documentary on bird song.
18:13
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Quick takeaways
Birds and other animals have sensory abilities that far exceed human capabilities, allowing them to communicate and perceive changes in sound on a faster time scale.
Dogs, ants, and other animals heavily rely on their sense of smell, which helps them establish social connections and provides rich information about their surroundings.
Deep dives
The Limitations of Human Perception
Birds and other animals have sensory abilities that far exceed human capabilities. Birds can perceive changes in sound that occur on a faster time scale, allowing them to communicate and convey information in ways we cannot hear. Seals can track the trails left by swimming fish using their sensitive whiskers, a sense humans lack. Jumping spiders have multiple sets of eyes, each specializing in different visual functions like color vision and movement detection. These examples demonstrate the incredible diversity of sensory worlds across the animal kingdom.
The Power of Animal Smell
Dogs, ants, and other animals rely heavily on their sense of smell. Dogs have specialized nasal structures that continuously capture smells from the air, even when they exhale. Their sense of smell helps establish social connections with other dogs and provides them with a rich source of information about their surroundings. Ants use their antennae to detect molecules in the air, playing a crucial role in their complex social behaviors. The book also explores how flowers have evolved colors that specifically attract bees, whose eyes are sensitive to a broad spectrum of colors that humans cannot perceive.
Hidden Sensory Abilities
Some animals possess the ability to sense electric and magnetic fields. Sharks, rays, and platypuses can detect faint electric fields emitted by other organisms in water. Electric fish can produce and sense their own electric fields, aiding them in navigation and communication. Magnetic fields are used by migratory birds, sea turtles, and potentially great whales to navigate and find their way back to specific locations. These abilities highlight the hidden sensory worlds of animals and their remarkable adaptations.
Ian Sample meets Ed Yong, who recently won 2023’s Royal Society book prize for An Immense World, which delves into the incredible world of animal senses. From colours and sounds beyond our perception, to the weird and wonderful ways that animals grow new ears and experience smell, Ed explains why understanding how animals perceive the world can transform our own experience of life on Earth. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod
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