Animal Super Senses

If you're a pet owner, you already know that dogs and cats are pretty extraordinary. But do you have any idea just how extraordinary? Fluffy and Fido actually have some super cool abilities - and senses that put our human skills to shame.

Extraordinary Ears. The typical human range of hearing is around 20 - 20,000 Hz. Dogs' ears can pick up double that, taking in sounds as high as 40,000 Hz. To put it it into perspective, you can probably hear a dog bark as far as about 100 yards away. A dog can hear that same sound from a distance of a quarter of a mile. Think that's impressive? Cat's can hear up to 60,000 Hz. And their ears can rotate independently of one another (up to 180 degrees!) - kind of like furry, uber sophisticated satellite dishes.

Serious Sight. Dogs and cats may not be able to see the same range of colors that we can, but they can scope out movement with uncanny precision. And cats can see in 1/5 the light that humans require - due to a reflective layer of cells in their eyes called tapetum lucidum, which enhances existing light rays and illuminates even the darkest night.

Super Scent. Approximately 40 million olfactory receptors help humans smell the world around them. Inside a cats nose, you'll find 200 million. A dog boasts 2 billion - which might explain why they're so intent on sniffing out the world around them. For certain dog breeds, this sense is even more pronounced. In fact, a bloodhound can identify scales of skin shed by humans up to three days in the past.


If you had a super sense, which would it be? Super hearing, sight or scent? Share your thoughts with other readers in the comments below.