# Super Senses

## Overview
In the chapter “Super Senses,” students explore the fascinating sensory abilities of animals — how they see, hear, smell, taste, and feel. Through stories, observations, and experiments, learners compare animal and human senses, understand their roles in survival, and reflect on conservation issues like poaching and protected areas.

## Key Topics Covered

### 1. Introduction to Super Senses
- Animals can sense the world differently from humans.
- Some can see long distances, some detect faint sounds or smells.
- Real-life examples include dogs detecting smells, eagles spotting prey, and ants following trails.

### 2. Sense of Smell
- Ants identify members of their group through smell.
- Male insects and mosquitoes locate mates or humans using smell.
- Experiments show ants follow scent trails left on the ground.
- Dogs use smell to identify territory and other dogs.

**Activity**: Drop sugar and observe how ants gather — how long it takes, their movement patterns, and what happens when their path is blocked.

### 3. Human Use of Smell
- Dogs help police and customs due to their strong sense of smell.
- Smell helps humans identify spoiled food or burning items.
- Individual experiences with smell vary — what smells good to one may be unpleasant to another.

**Example**: A woman happily cleans her own baby’s nappy but covers her nose for another child’s nappy — showing emotional connections affect perception.

### 4. Sense of Sight in Birds
- Birds have eyes on the sides of their head (wide field of view).
- Eyes don’t move much, so birds move their heads frequently.
- Birds like eagles and vultures can see very far — 4 times better than humans.
- Day-active animals may see some colours; night-active animals mostly see in black and white.

**Activity**: Try seeing or catching an object with one eye versus two to compare perception.

### 5. Hearing and Sound
- Animals like langurs and birds use warning calls.
- Dolphins and fish use sound or electric signals for communication.
- Sharp hearing helps animals detect danger or prey.
- Snakes sense vibrations through the ground.

**Try it**: Cup your hands behind your ears and listen — sound becomes sharper.

### 6. Sleep Patterns in Animals
- Some animals, like sloths, sleep up to 17 hours a day and live slow lives.
- Lizards disappear during winters as they go into hibernation.
- Sleeping routines can be compared using 24-hour clocks (e.g., cow, python, cat).

### 7. Tigers and Their Super Senses
- Tigers use smell, sight, hearing, and whiskers to hunt and protect their territory.
- Each tiger has its area and avoids others through scent markings.
- Can see six times better than humans at night.
- Roars can be heard up to 3 km.

### 8. Conservation Awareness
- Threats to tigers: hunting (poaching), deforestation, and human activities.
- Protected National Parks like Jim Corbett and Bharatpur aim to save these animals.
- Importance of protecting endangered animals and habitats.

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## New Terms and Simple Definitions

| Term | Definition |
|--------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Super senses | Extraordinary abilities animals have to sense the world (e.g., smell, hear)|
| Ant trail | A path followed by ants using smell |
| Vibration | Small, rapid movements felt or heard, used by snakes to sense danger |
| Hibernation | Deep sleep in winter, seen in animals like lizards and bears |
| Poacher | A person who illegally hunts animals |
| Warning call | Sound made by animals to alert others of danger |
| Territory | An area occupied and marked by an animal as its own |
| Whiskers | Long hairs on an animal’s face used to sense movements |
| Protected area| A forest region where hunting and logging are not allowed |
| Conservation | Saving and protecting nature and wildlife |



## Practice Questions

### 🟢 Easy (3 Questions)

1. **What do ants follow to find food on the ground?**
a) Light
b) Smell
c) Heat
d) Sound
**Answer:** b) Smell
**Explanation:** Ants follow the smell trail left by other ants on the ground.

2. **Which part of a bird helps it to see far away?**
a) Wings
b) Beak
c) Eyes
d) Legs
**Answer:** c) Eyes
**Explanation:** Birds like eagles have powerful eyes that help them see from great distances.

3. **What does a dog use to recognize other dogs in its area?**
a) Sound
b) Bark
c) Smell of urine
d) Touch
**Answer:** c) Smell of urine
**Explanation:** Dogs use smell to identify if another dog has been in their territory.

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### 🟡 Medium (2 Questions)

4. **Why do birds often move their heads instead of just their eyes?**
a) Their eyes are too small
b) They cannot see well
c) Their eyes are fixed and can’t move
d) Their ears are on their neck
**Answer:** c) Their eyes are fixed and can’t move
**Explanation:** Most birds have fixed eyes and must move their heads to look around.

5. **How does a snake sense its environment?**
a) Through its tongue
b) Through its eyes
c) Through vibrations on the ground
d) Through its ears
**Answer:** c) Through vibrations on the ground
**Explanation:** Snakes don't have external ears but sense vibrations through the ground.

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### 🔴 Difficult (3 Questions)

6. **Why do some animals see only black and white at night?**
a) They sleep during the day
b) Their eyes lack colour sensors
c) They use smell more
d) They can’t see at all
**Answer:** b) Their eyes lack colour sensors
**Explanation:** Night-active animals usually see in black and white due to eye structure.

7. **What is one reason the number of tigers is reducing in India?**
a) Lack of water
b) Old age
c) Poaching and deforestation
d) Cold weather
**Answer:** c) Poaching and deforestation
**Explanation:** Tigers are hunted for their skin, and forests are being destroyed.

8. **What helps a tiger move in the dark and sense prey?**
a) Loud roar
b) Sharp claws
c) Sensitive whiskers
d) Long tail
**Answer:** c) Sensitive whiskers
**Explanation:** Whiskers help detect movement and sense prey, especially in the dark.

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### ⚫ Very Difficult (2 Questions)

9. **Why did Sushila cover her nose while cleaning someone else’s baby but not her own?**
**Answer:** Because emotional connection influences how we perceive smells. She did not find her own baby’s smell unpleasant but did for someone else’s.

**Explanation:** Our feelings and emotions affect whether we find a smell good or bad.

10. **How did the tribal people in Andaman know about the coming tsunami in 2004?**
**Answer:** They observed strange behaviour in animals and moved to a safer area.

**Explanation:** Some people living close to nature can read animal behaviour to predict natural disasters.

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