On a summer evening, Rocket and Raven sit on the porch steps. Little dark shapes zigzag over the yard.
"Bats!" Rocket says. "How do they catch bugs in the dark?"
Later, at the reptile house, a snake flicks its forked tongue in and out, in and out.
"Is it tasting the air?" Rocket asks.
"What do you notice about how each animal checks its world?" Raven asks.
Nova hums. "My hint," she says. "Different animals have senses for different kinds of information."
Different sense parts are specialized. That means each one is built for a certain kind of information.
Bats use echolocation. They make high sounds that people cannot hear.
The sounds bounce off objects. Then the echoes return to the bat's ears.
When a bat detects an insect, it makes quick calls to find exactly where it is.
Snakes use their tongues to collect smells from the air. The tongue touches a special smell organ in the mouth.
Some snakes, called pit vipers, have heat pits. These sense tiny changes in warmth from nearby animals.
| Statement | True or false? |
|---|---|
| Bats make sounds and listen for echoes. | ? |
| Snakes use their tongues to collect smells. | ? |
| Every animal senses the world in exactly the same way. | ? |
| Pit vipers can sense heat. | ? |
A bat hunts at night using sounds and echoes.
A snake tastes the air with its tongue to follow smells.
A pit viper can sense the warmth of an animal nearby.
Each sense part fits the information that animal needs.
What super senses! Tomorrow we see how memories help animals decide what to do.