▲

Dolphins, similar to bats and a few other animals, have the amazing ability of echolocation to help them navigate the ocean. The dolphin emits a soundwave that then bounces off any objects in front of it, giving the dolphin a mental map of what lies ahead.

▲

Most species of spiders have organs known as slit sensilla, which allow them to sense even the slightest amount of movement anywhere in their vicinity. These organs give the spiders a huge amount of precise information, including the weight, size, and general shape of the moving object in question.

▲

Guiana dolphins, found off the eastern coasts of South and Central America, take it a step further. Not only are they equipped with echolocation, but they are also blessed with the skill of electroreception, which allows them to sense the faint bioelectric signatures that are produced by nerves and muscles.

▲

The platypus is one of only two amphibious or land-dwelling animals that is equipped for electroreception, the other being the platypus' cousin, the echidna. The 40,000 electroreceptors in the bill of the platypus help it hunt in murky and muddy waters.

▲

There's nothing else quite like the comb jellyfish. Over millions of years in the depths of the ocean, they have evolved from single-celled organisms into multi-celled creatures that lack a central nervous system or any sort of organs, including eyes. In order to navigate, they instead use balance receptors called statocysts that keep them oriented at all times.

▲

Pigeons are famous for being some of the best navigators in the world, but how do they do it? They do it through a process known as magnetoreception. To put it simply, magnetoreception allows the pigeons to actually feel the pull of the earth's magnetic field, which keeps them extremely oriented at all times, no matter how far from home they might fly.

▲

Similar to dolphins, bats use echolocation to navigate their nocturnal habitats. It's a myth, however, that bats rely solely on echolocation to get around. They are not blind, as the old adage "blind as a bat" suggests, and some species even have better eyesight than humans do, although not as colorful.

▲

While the pistol shrimp doesn't exactly have a sixth sense, it's well equipped to deal with the sixth senses of its predators. The pistol shrimp's enlarged claw is used as a sort of shockwave gun; when it snaps its claw shut, it shoots forth a shockwave that can kill its prey, disrupt the echolocation functions of other creatures, and even break glass.

▲

Sharks, like the Guiana dolphin, are also blessed with electroreception. Electroreception is a bit more common in fish than it is in mammals, but it's still quite impressive. Sharks make use of this skill when hunting in murky waters, or pinpointing far-away prey out of eyesight.

▲

The pit viper gets its name from the prominent indent that rests between its eyes and nostrils. just underneath the surface lies an organ used for sensing heat, which is incorporated into the snake's vision system, allowing it to see infrared rays emanating from any heat sources.

▲

Sea turtles have one of the strongest internal maps of any animal on the land or in the sea. They can travel more than 10,000 miles (over 16,000 km) in a year and still pinpoint exactly where in the surface world they laid their eggs. Leatherback sea turtles also have a special pineal gland that keeps them in touch with the seasons and weather above the ocean's surface.

▲

Everyone knows that salmon swim upstream from the ocean and back to the springs were they were born when it's time to mate, but how do they keep track? Salmon are equipped with magnetoreceptors that keep them in excellent tune with the earth's magnetic field. Additionally, they also have an impressive sense of smell, and can detect hints of their home stream from just a single drop of water.

▲

Mantis shrimp are the only known animal to be able to detect and harness the power of circularly polarized light. This gives the mantis shrimp a view of the ocean that no other creature has in common, and they use this to their advantage both in hunting and in avoiding predators.

▲

The catfish has one of the best senses of taste in all of the animal kingdom. That's because its entire body is covered in taste buds, and it uses these sensors, which can number upwards of 100,000, to constantly analyze its environment.

▲

Cows are blessed with the gift of having near-perfect 360° vision, making them almost impossible to sneak up on by would-be attackers. They are also attuned to the lower end of the magnetic frequencies of the earth, and usually stand conforming to the north-south axis.

▲

Scientists have known for years that the tiny hairs that cover a bee's body, including on its eyes and feet, are primarily used to collect and carry pollen. A more recent discovery has shown that these hairs also react to electric fields, making it one of the only animals that isn't aquatic or amphibious to do so.

▲

Weatherfish, or weather loaches, contain a bone structure known as the Weberian apparatus. This extra tool is used to detect even the slightest changes of pressure in the water, which allows them to predict any storms or changes in the weather above the surface with incredible accuracy. Hence the name weatherfish.

▲

The North American opossum, the shy and unsung hero that provides our best defense against ticks and other pests, also has an ingenious way of protecting itself from hostile bites. If an opossum is bitten by a venomous or poisonous snake or spider, its body can pinpoint the poison's location and releases a protein called LTNF that seeks out and destroys the poison before it can do any harm.

▲

While octopuses don't possess circular light polarization like the mantis shrimp, they do make frequent use of linear light polarization. This also allows them to manipulate the amount of light absorbed by their eyes, which they can optimize for any situation.

▲

Cavefish have a sense of hearing that is just about unmatched in the ocean world. These fish live in near-complete darkness for most of their lives, and never developed very useful eyes. Instead, they developed a sense of hearing that picks up sounds below 1kHz. Not only is their hearing sensitive, but it's dynamic as well, and they can filter out any unnecessary noise.

▲

Roundworms, as small as they are, are still capable of having an incredible connection to the earth's magnetic field. With very little physiology to speak of, their internal 'compass' keeps them oriented at all times.

▲

Lobsters, like many sea-dwelling creatures, possess an excellent navigation system. In fact, lobsters have been designated with having "true navigation," and are one of only a few animals with that distinction. True navigation means that a lobster could be scooped out the middle of the ocean, taken to land and driven 500 miles (over 800 km) up or down any given unfamiliar coast, and when the lobster is set back into water, no matter how unfamiliar its surroundings, it will immediately recalibrate and walk in exactly the direction of its original target.

▲

Jewel beetles rely heavily on forested areas for feeding and laying eggs. Experts suspect that it is because of this reliance that these colorful beetles developed an intensely heightened sensitivity to the smell and sensation of fires. Jewel beetles can detect a flame from around 10 miles (16 km) away.

▲Arctic reindeer in Northern Europe have the unique ability to perceive ultraviolet light. During the dark, monochrome winters of the Arctic, this special skill helps them find plant food in the snow and detect silent predators.

▲

Some species of ants are constantly calibrated with the magnetic field of the earth, making it impossible for them to get lost and allowing them to keep impressively detailed mental maps of their sometimes labyrinthine-like underground homes.

▲The eyes of giraffes rest on either side of their long, thin heads and bulge out in such a way that grants them complete 360° vision. This comes in handy when they have to let their guard down and feed on the tall branches of trees.

▲

Throughout history, different civilizations have suspected that animals know something about the workings of the world that humans don't, and are able to sense natural catastrophes long before they make themselves known to us. A recent example of this was the tsunami that hit Sri Lanka and India in 2005. Days before the tsunami hit, animals both wild and domestic were scrambling for higher ground, dogs refused to leave their houses, and waterbirds completely abandoned the coastline.

Sources: (Science Focus) (Ranker) (MyStart)

▲Vampire bats are different from other bats in a number of ways, including the fact that they're able to walk and even gallop on all fours. Their face is also incredibly sensitive to heat, giving them a sort of heat vision that they use to find where the blood flows closest to the skin of their victims.

▲

Hedgehogs have a bit more going on than simply being adorable. They also have a special organ called the Jacobson's organ, or the VMO organ. When a hedgehog catches the scent of prey, the smell is transmuted (i.e. changed in form) in a way into a saliva, which the hedgehog then sends to the VMO organ, which in turn tells the hedgehog what type of prey exactly it's hunting.

▲

The animal kingdom holds so many wonders and mysteries, and there are new discoveries all the time that shed more light on how certain animals work the way they do, and the unique and beautiful ways they interact with the world. As humans, it's hard for us to imagine having a sensory relationship with the world different from the one we have. It's hard to conceptualize feeling the magnetic pull of the earth, or tasting our surroundings with every part of our body. We are so accustomed to our five senses and the way they help us perceive the world around us, but so many animals experience that same world in completely unique ways. All different species of mammals, birds, fish, and even microscopic organisms possess wondrous powers of perception that would leave us humans in awe.

Curious? Read on to find out more about the fascinating extra senses that animals use to navigate the world.