Cats are typical nocturnal predators. For a fruitful hunt, they need to make maximum use of all their senses. The “calling card” of all cats without exception is their unique night vision. A cat's pupil can dilate up to 14 mm, allowing a huge beam of light into the eye. This allows them to see perfectly in the dark. In addition, the cat's eye, like the Moon, reflects light: this explains the glow of cat's eyes in the dark.
All seeing dove
Pigeons have an amazing feature in the visual perception of the surrounding world. Their viewing angle is 340°. These birds see objects located at a much greater distance than humans see them. That is why, at the end of the 20th century, the US Coast Guard used pigeons in search and rescue operations. Acute pigeon vision allows these birds to perfectly distinguish objects at a distance of 3 km. Since impeccable vision is the prerogative of mainly predators, pigeons are one of the most vigilant peaceful birds on the planet.
Falcon vision is the most vigilant in the world!
The bird of prey, the falcon, is recognized as the most vigilant animal in the world. These feathered creatures can track small mammals (voles, mice, gophers) from great heights and at the same time see everything that happens on their sides and in front. According to experts, the most vigilant bird in the world is the peregrine falcon, capable of spotting a small vole from a height of up to 8 km!
Pisces are no slouch either!
Among the fish with excellent vision, the inhabitants of the depths are especially distinguished. These include sharks, moray eels, and monkfish. They are able to see in pitch darkness. This happens because the density of rods in the retina of such fish reaches 25 million/sq.mm. And this is 100 times more than in humans.
Horse vision
Horses see the world around them using peripheral vision because their eyes are located on the sides of their heads. However, this does not at all prevent horses from having a viewing angle of 350°. If a horse raises its head up, its vision will be closer to spherical.
High speed flies
It has been proven that flies have the fastest visual reaction in the world. In addition, flies see five times faster than humans: their frame rate is 300 images per minute, while humans have only 24 frames per minute. Scientists from Cambridge claim that the photoreceptors on the retina of flies' eyes can physically shrink.
In general, according to scientists, almost all animals by nature are able to distinguish odors much better than is typical for us humans. However, have you ever thought about the sense of smell? Who can be said to be the absolute record holder in this area?
Let's try to figure it out together.
In the world of smells. General information
All animals of the mammalian class have a well-developed sense of smell. It is especially sensitive in dogs, which have more than 125 million in their noses. This is hard to believe, and it is completely unrealistic to imagine such a number. Although this is precisely why specially trained hunting dogs are able to smell game at a distance of about a kilometer.
Few people realize that horses can smell even small amounts of impurities in water. It’s not for nothing that they say that a horse will never drink contaminated water.
However, which animal has the best sense of smell? A racehorse? At the watchdog? Or maybe a domestic cat? No, no and no again.
Scientists have proven that the most common moth can openly “boast” of its sense of smell. Why? The fact is that males can recognize a female by smell even at a distance of 11 kilometers!
Absolute champion
It should be noted that moths, like butterflies, never feed on carpets or fur coats. This is done by caterpillar larvae.
The menu of moths is so diverse that these insects are even divided into different species, the names of which indicate their taste preferences: fur, carpet, felt, etc. There are even some that forcefully eat plastic film, paper and synthetic fabrics.
In addition to the well-known smell of mothballs, moths do not like the smells of newspapers, toilet soap, in particular with a floral smell, and orange peel. Although she can smell such a scent from afar, she is unlikely to be tempted.
Noble representative of the equid order
Our ancestors didn’t even bother looking for an answer to the question of who has the best sense of smell. They knew this for sure. It was by looking at the horse that they learned to check the quality of drinking water from one source or another. If she drank, her owners also scooped up water without any problems.
In general, thanks to its excellent sense of smell, a horse can easily detect the slightest excitement of the rider, as well as the state of alcohol intoxication. It is believed that the smell of blood can literally make her go crazy.
But this is far from the only one that is excellently developed in horses.
Experts say that every horse has the ability to see the world in color, although for most representatives of the fauna kingdom this is physically impossible.
A horse's hearing is so sensitive that it can easily distinguish all kinds of emotions in a person's voice. Horses also prefer cheerful or soothing music. But they don’t like loud music, like rock music.
The secret of a true friend
Probably even a baby will answer the question of which animal has the best sense of smell if you ask him to choose from among his pets. Well, of course, the dog. This pet will smell a sausage or a tasty piece of meat, even if you manage to hide it at the bottom of the bag.
But that's not all. Did you know that it is quite possible to teach a dog to drive a car? It sounds incredible, but it turns out that these animals took part in a test drive of cars, and some of them, upon completion, not only learned to drive in a straight line, but even to turn!
By the way, it has been scientifically proven that if a dog wags its tail to the left, it thus lets its relatives know about a possible dangerous situation.
The dog, like a person, distinguishes between certain colors, yellow and blue, for example. But green and red are not perceived by them, since in the eyes of dogs there is no “cone” that is responsible for these colors.
1. Answer what colors in the picture indicate the “hottest”, “warm” and “coldest” stars.
2. Complete the sentences
The Sun is the closest star to Earth
The sun rises, the day begins
The sun gives the Earth light and warmth
3. Write which planets are included in the solar “family”
Mercury, Venus, Earth, Jupiter, Mars, Uranus, Neptune, Saturn
4*. Mark the correct answer
The sun revolves around the earth
The Earth and other planets of the solar system revolve around the Sun
5. A. Find the Earth’s oceans in the picture. Sign their names
B. Draw some object that is typical for each continent of the earth
6*. Observe and sketch how the Moon changes. Note how many days later its changes become visible.
7*. Complete the sentences
The planet closest to the Sun is Mercury
There is only one known planet in the solar system that has life. This is Earth
The Earth has a satellite - the Moon
The largest planet in the solar system is Jupiter
The solar system was first described by the scientist Ptolemy
8. Guess the riddle. Draw the answer.
One old man looked into the well,
He sees a spot shining in the well.
The old man scooped up the coin with a bucket,
I looked into the well - again there was a patch.
Answer: reflection of the moon in a well
9. Fill out the diagram. Make drawings and captions for them.
10. Give examples and representatives of each kingdom of nature.
1) Animals: antelope, goose, dog, man
2) Plants: spruce, aspen, birch, dandelion
3) Mushrooms: fly mushroom, porcini mushroom, tinder fungus, fly agaric
4) Bacteria: Koch's wand
11*. Mark the correct statement
All bacteria are harmful
Bacteria are useful and harmful to humans
Mushrooms are plants because they are like animals
Mushrooms are a special kingdom of nature
12. Color the mushrooms and write their names. Mark mushrooms that are inedible for humans
1) Chanterelles
2) White mushroom
3) Tinder
4) Boletus
5) Fly agaric
7) White grebe
13. Fill out the diagram: write the names of the parts of the mushroom
14. Finish the diagram.
15. Connect the drawing and the name of the group of animals with a line
Write the names of the animals
16. A. If you are asked to draw the coat of arms of your native land, what animal will you depict on it? Why? Write the name of the animal or draw it
B. What mistakes did the artist make?
17. Write what sense organs most animals have
Answer: touch, smell, vision, taste
18*. Complete the sentences
Elephant and cat have very good hearing
An eagle needs good eyesight
The sense of smell is especially important for dogs and predators
19. Give examples of how someone prepares for winter
Bear makes a den, accumulates fat and hibernates
Martin flies south
Hare changes his fur coat
Squirrel stocking up on nuts
Hedgehog accumulates fat
Frog accumulates fat
20*. Prepare a short story "What do animals talk about?"
They warn about danger, tell where to get food, attract attention to a predator, convey their feelings to other animals, complain about feeling unwell.
21. Write the names of wild animals in the left column, and domestic ones in the right column.
Left column: fox, hedgehog, mouse, spider, boar
Right column: sheep, horse, dog, cow, chicken
22. Draw and color the leaves
Observe the development of the bean seed (peas, beans). Fill out the table.
In spring, branches of bushes and trees are trimmed in parks and gardens. Take a branch (cutting) of poplar (willow, currant) and place it in a glass jar with water. Write down the dates.
A week later, roots appeared.
The next day- planted a branch with roots in a pot of soil.
In three weeks- the first leaves appeared.
A week later, the next leaves appeared.
A month later, the branch (cutting) grew by 10 cm.
Three months later- the branch turns into a tree 50 cm high.
Test yourself
1. Connect the drawing and its caption with a line
2. Connect the drawing and its caption with a line.
3. Label it with a letter.
T - herbaceous plant
D - tree
K - bush
4. Write the names of the trees.
How was the task completed? Check the box.
Quickly, correctly and independently.
Correct, but slow.
That's right, but with the help of others.
Fast, but wrong.
The senses are very important to all of us. A person’s sense of smell can make the perception of the world much brighter.
The role of the olfactory organ
The organ of smell is the nose, which serves us so that we can enjoy wonderful smells and aromas. It also warns us about various kinds of dangers (fire, gas leakage). A good sense of smell is very important for any person, since without it it is impossible to perceive the world 100%. So, with a poor sense of smell, life can become gray and dull, devoid of all colors.
The organ of smell is a tool for obtaining information; it helps a person to understand the world. It is known that children whose perception of smells is impaired cannot develop properly and lag behind their peers. The human olfactory organ is closely related to the taste organ. A very small loss of the ability to subtly sense and distinguish smells negates the pleasure of the most delicious food. And people often choose their surroundings by smell. Probably no one will be able to communicate with a person for a long time if his aroma is not very pleasant.
The olfactory organ, helping us to perceive odors, is able to create mood and influence well-being. For example, cinnamon and mint scents can increase alertness and reduce irritability, while coffee and lemon scents can help promote clear thinking. The human olfactory organ has the ability to distinguish up to 10,000 aromas. This wealth given to us by nature must be treasured. None of the people wants to stop smelling flowers, herbs, forests, and the sea.
What is the sense of smell?
The ability to distinguish and perceive various odors of substances that are in the environment is the sense of smell. Recognition of odors usually provokes the emergence of various emotions. In this sense, the sense of smell often becomes more important than, for example, good hearing or excellent vision. The impact of various aromatic substances on the olfactory organ can excite the human nervous system. This, in turn, leads to changes in the functions of various organs and systems of the whole body.
Organ structure
The organ of smell is the nose, which perceives appropriate stimuli dissolved in the air. The process of smell consists of:
- olfactory mucosa;
- olfactory filament;
- olfactory bulb;
- olfactory tract;
- cerebral cortex.
The olfactory nerve and receptor cells are responsible for the perception of odors. They are located on the olfactory epithelium, which is located on the mucous membrane of the upper posterior part of the nasal cavity, in the area of the nasal septum and the upper nasal passage. In humans, the olfactory epithelium covers an area of about 4 cm2.
All signals from the receptor cells of the nose (of which there are up to 10 million) enter the brain through nerve fibers. There the idea of the nature of the smell is formed or its recognition occurs.
In humans, there are olfactory and trigeminal nerves, to the endings of which odor receptors are attached. Nerve cells have two types of processes. The short ones, called dendrites, are rod-shaped, each containing 10-15 olfactory cilia. Others, the central processes (axons), are much thinner, forming thin nerves that resemble threads. These very threads penetrate into the cranial cavity, using for this purpose the holes in the plate of the ethmoid bone of the nose, and then join the olfactory bulb, which passes into the olfactory tract. The bulb lies at the base of the skull and forms a special lobe of the brain.
The visceral brain system, or limbic system, includes the cortical zones of the olfactory analyzer. These same systems are responsible for the regulation of innate activity - search, food, defensive, sexual, emotional. The visceral brain is also involved in maintaining homeostasis, regulating autonomic functions, forming motivational behavior and emotions, and organizing memory.
Peculiarity
The olfactory organ is capable of influencing the thresholds of color perception, taste, hearing, and excitability of the vestibular apparatus. It is known that if a person’s sense of smell sharply decreases, then the pace of his thinking slows down. The structure of the olfactory organ is special; it distinguishes it from other senses. All structures of the olfactory analyzer take an important part in organizing emotions, behavioral reactions, memory processes, autonomic-visceral regulation, and regulation of the activity of other areas of the cerebral cortex.
There are substances that have a pungent odor (ammonia, vinegar essence). They are capable of exerting both an olfactory effect and an irritation on the sensory fibers of the trigeminal nerve. This explains the specificity of the formation of odor sensations. Respiration rate, pulse, and blood pressure can reflexively change under the influence of olfactory stimuli.
Organ sensitivity
The acuity of smell can be judged by the fact that a person is able to clearly perceive, for example, the smell of 0.0000000005 parts of a gram of rose oil or musk, approximately 4.35 parts of a gram of mercaptan gas. If the air contains even 0.00000002 g per 1 cm 3 of hydrogen sulfide gas, then it is clearly noticeable to us.
There are odors that are very powerful and persistent and can even be stored for 6-7 thousand years. An example of this is the smells experienced by people who participated in the excavations of the Egyptian pyramids. We can say that our nose is capable of detecting various impurities of odorous substances in very small quantities in the inhaled air, which cannot be measured even with the help of chemical studies. It has been proven that the acuity of smell depends on the time of day (smells are better sensed after sleep) and the physiological state of a person. The sense of smell is more acute when a person is hungry and during spring and summer.
The human olfactory organ is capable of distinguishing no more than several thousand different shades of odors. In this we are very far behind animals. Dogs, for example, can recognize about 500 thousand odors.
Smell and emotions
Conducted brain studies indicate that from the olfactory brain, in the process of evolution, the forebrain hemispheres, which are responsible for higher nervous activity, gradually formed. Smell is the primary source and way of transmitting various information among creatures in living nature. In addition, for all animals and for primitive man, the organ of smell is necessary for finding food, a sexual partner, warning of danger or marking a habitat.
For a person living in the modern world, the main method of transmitting information is verbal, which has been able to supplant all others that arose earlier. It is known that smell has a powerful effect on the emotional sphere, as well as the processes associated with it. This influence often occurs at the subconscious level. This experience in a person’s life is not always positive. For example, manifestations of diseases in the form of psychosomatic diseases are recorded.
Great importance of smell
The functions of the olfactory organ are numerous in the life of all living beings, as it is able to warn of the danger of poisoning by poisonous gases that can enter the body through the lungs. It is also possible to control the quality of food consumed using smell, which protects against the entry of decomposed and poor-quality products into the gastrointestinal tract.
Conclusion
As a conclusion, we can say that the close connection between long-term memory, emotions and smell suggests that smell is a powerful means of influencing the entire human body and its perception of the world as a whole.
N.F. Vinogradova “Primary school of the 21st century” 4th grade, part 1
Lesson summary on the world around us
Subject: Smell. How we smell. Take care of your sense of smell
Lesson type: Lesson that reveals the content of the topic
Lesson Type: Combined
Target: 1. Start to form concepts: sense of smell, olfactory organs, hygiene.
2. Develop skills in caring for the olfactory organs.
3. Foster respect for the senses.
Planned results
Subject: Smell. Sense organs
Metasubject: Cognitive:
Be able to prove that the nose belongs to the olfactory organs.
Work with the textbook text in order to develop observation skills, the ability to compare and draw conclusions.
Regulatory: The ability to plan your actions in accordance with the assigned task.
Communicative: Work in groups.
Personal: The desire to take responsibility for your health.
Information technology resources: blindfold; objects, products that have different odors; textbook, workbook.
Basic concepts: hearing, smell.
Lesson progress
I. Organizational moment.
II. Repetition of previously learned.
1. Weather analysis.
2. Introductory conversation-repetition on the following questions:
– What is the organ of hearing?
– What significance do ears have for a person?
– How should you take care of your ears?
– Why is it harmful to listen to loud music and constantly use headphones?
3. Checking homework.
III. Learning new material and consolidating it.
1. Guess the riddle and you will find out which organ will be discussed in the lesson.
Between two luminaries
In the middle I'm alone. (Nose.)
2. Creation of a problematic situation.
2-3 students come to the board. The teacher blindfolds them. Each person is given some harmless items that have specific odors, such as onions, perfume, dark bread, etc.
– Determine what you have in your hands.
Students name objects.
– How did you determine this, since you could not see or hear?
– What organ do we smell?
Student answers.
Physical education minute
Teacher. Humans have many associations with smells. Imagine that you are in a spring garden. How do you feel?
– Breathe deeply, well, fully. Feel the aroma of blossoming cherries, apple trees, and lilacs. Convey your feelings with facial expressions.
And now, at my request, show me the smell of wormwood, sour milk, the smell of lily of the valley, and ammonia.
Remember that objects and household chemicals should not be brought close to the olfactory organs, this is dangerous.
3. The nose is the organ of smell.
Smell - This is a person’s ability to smell. The sense of smell helps us detect stale food and harmful odors in the room.
Currently, scientists count more than 400 thousand odors that humans can perceive. Human sensitivity to smell is quite high. Thus, the smell of ether is felt if 1 liter of air contains only 0.000001 g of this substance. A person is able to smell not all substances, but only those that are volatile or dissolved in water and fats.
During a runny nose, a person can barely distinguish odors. Frequent runny noses dull the sense of smell. As you can see, colds are harmful not only to the throat and lungs, but also to such an important sensory organ as the nose. Therefore, you need to protect yourself from colds and strengthen your body. Tobacco smoke and various sharp, poisonous odors greatly dull the sense of smell. If a foreign object gets into your nose, you should consult a doctor.
Micro-fixing :
How many smells do scientists count?
The smell of what substances can a person smell?
What smells dull a person's sense of smell?
4. Work according to the textbook.
– Tell us using the picture on p. 41 textbooks on how we smell.
– Read the rules on p. 42 Tutorials You Should Follow to Protect Your Sense of Smell from Damage.
1). We need to harden ourselves and protect our body from colds.
2). Do not smoke, as the sense of smell deteriorates in people who smoke.
– How many of you have animals at home? Have you noticed how they react to smells? Tell us about it.
The sense of smell increases information about the surrounding world. The sense of smell is most acute in summer and spring, especially in warm and humid weather. In the light the sense of smell is sharper than in the dark.
If a person loses his sense of smell, then food loses its taste, and such people are more likely to get poisoned because they cannot identify low-quality food.
– Smell is...
IV. Homework. Read the text of the textbook on p. 41–42; complete the task under the briefcase; answer questions about the topic of the lesson.
V. Lesson point
