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The Science of Animal Senses

A Journey in Understanding

How Animals Perceive the World

Nairobi Symposium · July 2025

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Which do you think sees more colors: a dog or a human?

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Dogs are dichromatic.

They have two types of color receptors

They can only see shades of blue and yellow.

Humans are trichromatic.

They can see reds, blues and greens. They can see 1000s of more colors than dogs.

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Which do you think sees more colors: a human or a bird?

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Birds are tetrachromatic.

They have four types of color receptors including one for ultraviolet light.

That extra receptor allows birds to distinguish tens of thousands more hues and unlocks a spectrum humans cannot even imagine.

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Where it all Started

An Immense World by Ed Yong opened our eyes to how animals perceive the world and inspired us to:

Show others what animals see and feel
Rekindle childhood wonder in everyone
Share how truly amazing these creatures are, and
Use as bridge to discuss human biology

[Cristian]The journey into the world of animal senses began with An Immense World by Ed Yong. At first, when Tony came to me about this book, hoping I could do something with it, I was a bit skeptical about reading it as its time consuming and personally im not a big fan or reading. But he insisted, and I have to say, this book opened my eyes to the incredible ways animals perceive the world. It reveals that the world we experience through our senses is just a small part of a much larger reality.

Growing up, in times of distress, I felt like my dog was always there for me, and although she'n no longer with me. That connection made me realize how important animals are to our emotional lives and how there are those examples in everyone live, this book reinforced that understanding. It made me appreciate the inner lives of animals even more and how much we often take them for granted.

We were inspired to show people the world through the eyes of animals—seeing what they see, feeling what they feel—which sparked a sense of childhood wonder but about respect and responsibility that humanity has, especially when it comes to how we treat animals. We realized that others around the world could rekindle this curiosity and perhaps learn from it to, and we wanted to share that sense of awe with everyone.

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Umwelt

- the world as it is experienced by a particular organism

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Collaborators Involved

Cristian Heichen

Mackenzie Pacquing

Jacqueline Moore

[Cristian]

When we started this project, I originally used my business expertise to help create the product. I worked alongside one of our amazing interns, Mackenzie, who unfortunately couldn’t be here today. Together, we laid the groundwork for this project, but I soon realized that I lacked the educational perspective that would make this truly impactful for students.

That’s where Jackie came in.

[Jackie]**

'As a teacher, I’ve always seen what captivates students and drives them to be their most authentic and creative selves. Whether it’s in the classroom or elsewhere, I believe that children are our future. As educators, it's our responsibility to get it right, to foster their curiosity and imagination.'

Together, we came up with the Animal Senses booklet, designed not just to educate but to inspire and engage students in a meaningful way."**

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Animal Senses Covered

The booklet explores how they interpret their environments through extraordinary sensory abilities, which help them adapt, survive, and evolve.

Touch

Taste

Vision

Smell

Hearing

Electroreception

Magnetoreception

[Jackie]

This booklet covers the five primary senses—touch, taste, vision, smell, and hearing—as well as electroreception, a lesser-known but fascinating sense used by animals like sharks to detect electrical fields. Each sense is explored in detail, showcasing how animals like rhinos use their sensitive skin or how hummingbirds rely on their extraordinary vision. In reality, animals are complex creatures, embodying a vast array of senses that we continue to discover every day.

Through this exploration, we uncover how animals use their unique senses to navigate their environment, thrive, and evolve. More importantly, we gain insight into how these extraordinary adaptations contribute to their survival and what lessons humans can draw from them. By understanding these remarkable abilities, we hope to inspire people to foster a deeper connection with nature and take meaningful action to protect it

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How the Material is Organized

[Jackie]

Before we show you the content of the booklet, let me give you an idea of how the material is generally organized. While the structure may vary slightly from section to section, most lessons start by introducing the animal and its unique sensory ability, followed by learning outcomes that go through key concepts students should understand. We also include a glossary to explain important terms, helping ensure that even complex ideas are easy to grasp.

Each lesson usually wraps up with a hands-on activity that encourages students to apply what they’ve learned in an interactive way. These activities are designed to be resource-light so they can be done in various educational settings. While not every section follows an identical format, the overall approach ensures a balance between learning and active engagement, making the material both adaptable and effective.

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Human Connection to the Sense

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Overcoming

Challenges with AI

Combining AI research tools with smart image and story generation allowed us to uncover new insights into specific animal senses and craft engaging lessons in a fraction of the time these tasks once demanded.

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Rapid Research

AI tools surface fresh data on sensory biology quickly, cutting down weeks of manual review.

Instant Imagery

DALL·E and Canva AI generate vivid, age‑appropriate illustrations in minutes, ensuring every lesson looks great.

Engaging Narratives

ChatGPT helps us spin adaptable, story‑driven modules that captivate young learners and bring discoveries to life.

[Cristian}

While creating these lesson plans, I faced several challenges.

One of the biggest issues was selecting the right images to complement the story—especially finding visuals that were both engaging and accessible. I also struggled with ensuring that children in underserved areas had access to educational materials that were relevant to them and available in their language.

That’s where AI came in. By leveraging tools like DALL-E for generating captivating, copyright-free images and ChatGPT for crafting adaptable, personalized stories, we were able to address these concerns. AI allows us to quickly create materials that not only fit the educational content but also make it more accessible to diverse audiences. It provides us the flexibility to scale these lesson plans to different regions, cultures, and languages in the future, which was a game-changer for this project.

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Future Content Expansion

[Cristian]

One of the most exciting parts of this project is thinking about how we can expand the content in the future. To give you a glimpse of what’s possible, we’ve used AI to create an example of how future lessons could look and feel. By incorporating multimedia elements like this video, we can bring the world of animal senses to life in a way that is more engaging to students.

Video Plays

What makes this particularly exciting is the potential to expand beyond just animals. We could integrate other elements like natural phenomena or objects relevant to specific cultures or regions. By using AI to adapt visuals and stories for each region, we can ensure that every student, no matter where they are, can connect to the content in a meaningful way. This is just one example of how we envision the future of this project

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Magnetoreception – sense Earth’s magnetic field

Cryptochrome – light-sensitive molecule

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We’re Looking

for Collaborators!

We’re seeking collaborators to develop curriculum‑aligned lesson plans in biology, animal science, and STEM.

Join us to bring your expertise and help expand education worldwide.

[Cristian]

First, we aim to make the content more culturally relevant by adapting materials to include animals and objects unique to the regions we’re serving. For example, focusing on animals like the pangolin in Africa or the Andean condor in South America can make the material more relatable to students. This approach also opens the door for students to feel a deeper sense of ownership and pride in their local wildlife and ecosystems.

Second, we plan to leverage AI for language translation, ensuring the materials can be adapted into multiple languages. This will help reach more students in their native languages, especially in underserved communities where educational resources may be scarce. This also addresses the gap in educational content available to children in underserved communities where resources in their language may be scarce.

Thirdly, we’re seeking to form global partnerships with international organizations will allow us to distribute these materials on a much larger scale. By collaborating with schools, NGOs, and educational institutions abroad, we can offer these resources to improve the quality of education. We envision working closely with educators like Jackie to tailor the lessons to their needs, . Additionally, these partnerships will help build a network of educators and advocates who are passionate about innovative, hands-on learning and fostering a community that is dedicated to enhancing education globally."**

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Contact for More Information

Email

abloome@meducationalliance.org

Any Questions?

Website

www.meducationalliance.org

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Introduction & Animal Super-Sense Explored

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Deep Dive into the Animal Sense