DIVERSITY OF THE SENSES

Seeing, hearing, smelling, touching and tasting are the fundamental elements of human perception. But there are many more than that: many creatures can do things with their senses which are far beyond what we can imagine. Migratory birds can navigate using the earth’s magnetic field. Bats echolocate to find their way. Some animals work with electric fields to track their prey. And how do the roots of plants know which way to point? The exhibition highlights the incredible diversity of the senses in animals and plants – everything from having a magnetic sense all the way to a rattlesnake’s ability to detect heat.

A delicate touch: feeling
Pressure

I’m all ears: hearing
Sound waves

Follow your nose: smelling and tasting
Chemical molecules

Open your eyes: seeing and detecting heat
Electromagnetic waves

Attraction: magnetic sense
Earth’s magnetic field

Electrified: electric sense
Electric fields