Animals use their senses to find food, avoid danger, and find their way. Different animals have different senses that are especially strong. A dog has a nose that is thousands of times better than ours, so police dogs can follow the smell of a person across a city and sniffer dogs can find hidden things at the airport. An eagle can see a rabbit from high in the sky. An owl has huge eyes that see well in dim light, and a cat has a shiny layer at the back of its eye that helps it hunt at night. Bees can see ultraviolet colours in flowers that are invisible to us.
Some animals sense the world in ways we cannot. A cat's whiskers are as wide as its body, so it knows if it can fit through a gap. Ants and butterflies use antennae to smell and to feel. A butterfly tastes with its feet and knows it has landed on the right leaf. Bats fly in complete darkness by making high squeaks and listening to the echoes that bounce back, which is called echolocation. Sharks feel tiny electric signals from the muscles of fish hiding in the sand. A mosquito finds you by the carbon dioxide in your breath and the warmth of your skin.
Example: Blindfold a friend and hold different things near their nose, one at a time: an orange peel, a lime, a piece of soap, a wet leaf, and a coin. Can they name each one by smell alone? Then swap roles. Which of you has the better nose?