Super Senses
Points to remember:
Animals also have different senses. They can see, hear, taste, smell and feel.
As the ants move they leave a smell on the ground. The other ants follow the smell to find the way.
Some male insects can recognize their females by their smell.
Mosquitoes can find human beings by the smell of their body, by the smell of the sole of the feet and by the heat of the body.
Dogs mark out their own area on the road. They can make out if another dog has come into their area by the smell of its urine or potty.
The smell is not ‘good’ or ‘bad’ for everyone in the same way. It depends on how each one feels about it.
Most of the birds have their eyes on either side of the head. Their eyes can focus on two different things at the same time. When they look straight ahead, both their eyes focus on the same object.
In most birds, eyes are fixed and cannot move. So birds have to turn their heads to see around.
Some birds like kites, eagles, vultures can see four times as far as a man can. It means these birds can see things from eight meters what a man can see from a distance of two meters.
Animals cannot see as many colours as a man can. It is believed that animals that are awake in the daytime can see some colors. Those animals that are awake at night can see things only in black and white colours.
The ears of birds are small holes covered with feathers.
Snakes do not have external ears. They only feel the vibrations on the ground.
Birds and animals can give alarm calls to other birds and animals to warn about the dangers. Some birds even have different sounds for different kinds of dangers.
People living in the forests are able to observe the behavior of animals to come to know of the danger.
Scientists believe that many animals have a language of their own.
Page 2
How did the ant recognize a friend?
Ans: Animals have different senses. As the ants move they leave a smell on the ground. Ant recognize a friend by it’s smell.
Think and Tell
How did the ant know that the other ants were not from its group?
Animals have different senses. As the ants move they leave a smell on the ground. With the help of this smell, the ants knew that the other ants were not from their group.
How did the guard ant recognize this ant?
As the ants move they leave a smell on the ground. With the help of this smell guard ant recognize the ant
Try this and write
Drop some sugar, jaggery, or anything sweet on the ground. Wait until the ants come there.
How long did it take for the ants to come?
It took about a few minutes for the ants to come.
Did one ant come first or a group of ants come together?
One ant came first, then the other ants followed it.
What did the ants do with the food?
The ants carried the food to their hole.
Where do they go from there?
They go to their hole from there.
Do they move in a line?
Yes, they move in a line.
Page 3
Now observe, how do the ants move?
The first ant climbs the pencil and move and all the other ants follow the first one in a line.
Now can you guess why the ants behaved like that when you blocked their path?
As the ants move they leave a smell on the ground. The other ants follow the smell to find the way. When their path is blocked, the ants sense the smell and follow the first one
Have you ever been troubled by mosquitoes? Just think, how do they know where you are?
Yes, I have been troubled by mosquitoes. Mosquitoes can find human beings by the smell of their body, by the smell of the sole of the feet and by the heat of the body.
Have you seen a dog sniffing here and there? What do you think it is trying to smell?
Yes, I have seen a dog sniffing. Dogs mark out their own area on the road. They can make out if another dog has come into their area by the smell of its urine or potty.
Page 4
In what ways do human beings make use of this special sense of smell of dogs?
Human beings use the special sense of smell of dogs to catch the thieves, to detect the stolen things.
When do you find your sense of smell helpful to you? List some examples. Like –to know by its smell that food has gone bad or that something is burning.
Sense of smell is useful in many ways. We use the smell to recognize the tasty food, sweets, perfumes, flowers. With the sense of smell, we can detect gas leakage in the kitchen.
Name the animals that you would be able to recognize only by their smell, without seeing them?
We can recognize animals like dogs, cats, cows, buffaloes, etc by their smell.
Write the names of five things whose smell you like and five things whose smell you do not like?
I like the smell of sweets, flowers, perfumes, incense sticks, fruits.
I do not like the smell of dead animals, garbage, stale air, rotten vegetables, the smell from urinals.
Page 5
Discuss
Do the clothes of any of your family members smell? Whose?
Yes, the clothes of my family members do smell.
Did you ever come across any smell in a crowded place such as a fair, bus, train etc?
Yes, the smell of sweets, fish, perfumes is felt in crowded places.
Think and Discuss
Sushila covered her nose when she cleaned Deepak’s nappy, but not when she cleaned her daughter. Why do you think she did this?
Sushila covered her nose when she cleaned Deepak’s nappy because she felt it dirty. But when she cleaned her daughter she didn’t feel it be dirty. The smell is ‘good’ or ‘bad’ depends upon how a person feels about it.
How do you feel when you walk near a heap of garbage? Think of the children who spend the whole day picking things from such garbage.
I feel bad when I walk near a heap of garbage.
The children who spend the whole day picking things from garbage do not feel bad as they used to the smell.
Is a smell ‘good’ or ‘bad’ for everyone in the same way? Or does it depend on how each one feels about it?
The smell is not ‘good’ or ‘bad’ for everyone in the same way. It depends on how a person feels about it.
Page 6
Write the name of a bird which has eyes in front of its head (like in humans)
Owl.
Write the names of some birds which have eyes on either side of her head. What is the size of their eyes as compared to the size of their head?
Pigeons, crows, sparrows and eagles have eyes on either side of their head. The eyes are very small as compared to the size of their head.
Could you see your friend’s action, without moving your neck?
No, I cannot see my friend’s action without moving my neck.
What was the difference between looking with one or both eyes?
I can see better by looking with both eyes.
Page 7
Now toss a small ball or coin and try to catch it. Try this with both your eyes open. Then close one eye and try to catich it. When was it easier to catch?
It is easier to catch with both eyes open.
Imagine how it would be to have your eyes in place of your ears? What would you be able to do then, which you cannot do now?
We can see the things on our right and left sides without turning our neck.
Now you can guess from what distance can an eagle in the sky can see a roti on the ground?
An eagle can see a roti on the ground from one to two kilometers.
Page 8
Write
The names of ten animals whose ears can be seen.
Cat, dog, mouse, cow, buffalo, rabbit, horse, donkey, lion, tiger, deer.
The names of some animals whose ears are bigger than our ears.
Elephants, rabbits, cats, dogs, cows, buffalo, etc,.
Think
Is there some link between the size of animal’s ears and their hearing?
Animals with bigger ears have better hearing than animals with smaller ears.
Put your hands over your ears and say something. Can you hear your own voice?
Yes, I can hear my own voice.
Page 9
Sit near a desk. Tap the desk once with your hand. Listen carefully. Now, put your ear on the desk as shown in the picture. Tap on the desk once again with your hand. Was there any difference in the sound of the tap?
Yes, in the second case sound is sharper.
Page 10
Can you understand the sounds of some animals? Which animals?
Yes, I can understand the sounds of animals like cats, dogs, cows, etc.
Do some animals understand your language? Which ones?
Yes, animals like cats, dog parrots, cows understand our language.
Have you noticed that during the cold season you cannot see any lizard in the house? Where do you think they have gone?
Yes, we cannot see lizards in the house during the cold season. They may hide somewhere to save themselves from the cold.
Page 13
What do you think are some of the dangers to tigers in the jungle?
Hunters kill the tigers for their skin. Forests are being cut for human settlements. Destruction of forests is also one of the dangers for tigers.
Can human beings also be a threat to animals? How?
Yes, human beings are the biggest threat to animals. Human beings kill the animals like tigers, crocodiles, snakes for their skin. Elephants are killed for their tusks, rhinoceros for their horn, Musk deer are killed just to make a little scent from their musk.
Find out
Where are such other National Parks in India?
The following are some of the National Parks in India.
Sanjay Gandhi National Park
Kuno National Park
Omkareshwar National Park
Gir Forest National Park
Indravati National Park
Collect information on these and write a report.
Have you noticed that sometimes singers put their hand on their ear when they sing? Why do you think they may be doing this?
Yes, sometimes singers put their hand on their ear to avoid noise and to hear their voice clearly.
Give some examples of animals that may have a very strong sense of sight, hearing, or smell?
Some animals start behaving in a different way when an earthquake or storm is about to come.
Mosquitoes recognize humans by their smell.
Dogs have a sense of smell and can be used to find criminals.
Extra Questions
1.Fill in the blanks.
1). Animals also have different senses.
2). The smell is not ‘good’ or ‘bad’ for everyone in the same way.
3). Scientists believe that many animals have a language of their own.
4). The ears of birds are small holes covered with feathers.
5). In most birds, eyes are fixed and cannot move.
Answer the following.
1). What different senses do the animals have?
Ans: Animals also have different senses. They can see, hear, taste, smell and feel.
2). How the ants identify the other ants from the same group?
Ans: Ants identify the other ants from their group with the help of the smell.
3). How did mosquitoes find human beings?
Ans: Mosquitoes can find human beings by the smell of their body, by the smell of the sole of the feet and by the heat of the body.
4). Birds have to turn their heads to see around. Give reason.
Ans: In most of the birds, eyes are fixed and cannot move. So birds have to turn their heads to see around.
Click here for question answers of EVS other lessons of Std 5
Seeds And Seeds
Every Drop Counts
Experiments With Water
A Treat For Mosquitoes
Up You Go
Walls Tells The Stories
Sunita In Spaces
What If It Finishes?
A Shelter So High
When The Earth Shook
Blow Hot, Blow Cold
Who Will Do This Work?
Across The Wall
No Place For Us
A Seed Tells A Farmer’s Story
Whose Forest?
Like Father, Like Daughter to Prevent Them
On the Move Again.
exceptional article