Animal Senses Flashcards
What do the ears do?
- Detect sound waves(stimulus)
-sounds= high frequency vibrations
Humans; 20- 20,000 hertz - used for balance
What is the pinna? (Outer ear)
-outside structure
- cartilage
- funnel- gathers and focuses sound
- can move in some animals
What is the Auditory Meatus(ear canal)? (Outer ear)
Passage that leads to ear drum
What does the tympanic membrane( ear drum) do? ( middle ear)
- 3 layers
- converts sound waves to vibrations
What are the three ossicles? ( middle ear)
- Malleus
- incus
- stapes
What do the ossicles do? ( middle ear)
- vibrate in response to sound
- concentrate vibrations
- sound into mechanical energy
What does the oval window do? (Middle ear)
- membrane covered opening
- vibrate in response to ossicles
- vibrations to inner ear
What is the Eustachian tube? ( middle ear)
- Air filled cavity
- connected to throat
- opens when swallowing
- allows air into middle ear
What is the structure of the cochlea? (Inner ear)
- spiral tube
- fluid and hair cells- sensitive to vibrations
What does the organ of corti do?( inner ear)
- turns vibrations into electrical signals
What does the semi- circular canals? (Inner ear)
balance and directional info
What does the cochlear nerve do? ( inner ear)
- vibrations from cochlea to brain as electrical impulses
Difference in ear structures that help animals hear different sound waves?
Size;
Large pinna captures more vibrations
Thickness of eardrum;
Thin= heat at high frequencies
Size of middle ear bones;
Heavy= low frequencies
Light= high frequencies
What is the difference between predator vs prey ears?
Predator;
Ears point forward- helps when pursuing prey
Prey;
Large ears that swivel- listen to sounds from all directions
What is the nose used for?
- to see if the food is edible
- territory
- reproduction/ pheromones
- danger
- also a role in sense of taste
Structure of nasal chamber? (Nasal chamber)
- olfactory epithelium
- mucous membranes
- olfactory nerve
Structure of turbinate bones? ( nasal cavity)
- narrow passageways
- warm/ humidify
Structure of the olfactory bulb? ( nasal cavity)
- forebrain
- interprets olfactory stimuli
What does the hard palate do?
Separates oral and nasal cavity
What does the soft palate do?
Closes nasal passage when swallowing and sneezing
What does the mouth do ?
- allows ingestion of nutritious food
- taste receptors detect different chemicals( stimulus)
- main structure in mouth: tongue
What is the tongue structure?
- detects flavour chemicals(stimulus)
- papillae on surface
- taste buds= taste receptors
- taste pore= exposes receptor cells
- Taste receptors cell= create chemical signals sent to brain
What is the different components on the skin?
Epidermis- waterproof/ protective barrier, regenerates
Dermis- structure/ support/ flexibility, skin receptors
Subcutaneous- insulation, connects skin to muscles/ bones
What are skin receptors?
- millions of touch receptors
- Different function’s
- send signals along nerve cells
- message sent to brain
