Page 66 - One Million Things: Animal Life - The Incredible Visual Guide

SENSES

An animal’s senses provide a constant stream of
information about its surroundings, using receptors
that send signals to the brain. This enables the animal
to avoid danger, find food, locate a mate, navigate, and
communicate. The main five senses are sight, hearing,
Lateral line
smell, taste, and touch. Sharks are ocean predators. runs along the
As well as the main five, sharks have two extra length of the
shark’s body
senses that enhance their hunting efficiency.

1 TOUCH 2 VIBRATIONS 3 HEARING AND BALANCE
Most animals, including sharks, A fluid-filled tube called the lateral Two small openings in the top of
have touch receptors scattered line runs along the length of the the shark’s head mark the entrance
throughout the skin. Receptors for shark from head to tail. Pores in the to the inner parts of a shark’s ears.
other senses are usually found in skin connect the surrounding water Sounds travel farther and faster in
special organs, such as the eyes. to lateral-line receptors that detect water than in air, and sharks are
The shark’s touch receptors detect vibrations and pressure changes. able to pinpoint prey over several
water currents, temperature This provides the shark with a miles by detecting the low
changes, and direct contact with sense of “distant touch” that allows frequency sounds they produce. 2
other animals, especially when a it to sense the intensity and As in many other animals, balance
shark goes in for the kill. direction of the movements of organs in the shark’s ears help it
an approaching fish. stay orientated and upright.

Position of lateral line as
it extends toward tail

4 SIGHT 5 TASTE
A shark’s large, well-developed Sharks do not use their sense of
eyes are more sensitive than human taste to detect their prey, but to
eyes. With increasing depths, light determine whether they want to
levels in the ocean decrease and eat it or not. Pits in the mouth and
the eye’s pupils widen to admit throat contain receptors called taste
more light. In addition, a layer buds. As the shark bites, the taste
called the tapetum lucidum lining buds detect chemicals in its prey’s
the shark’s eyes reflects light tissues. If the shark finds the animal
internally, maximizing the shark’s “tasty,” perhaps because it contains
vision so it can hunt in the darkness. plenty of fat, it will continue eating.
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