Light & Seeing
Why can’t an animal see an object in complete darkness?
There is no light to reflect off the object and enter the eyes.
What sense do rabbits mostly use their long ears for?
Hearing predator sounds.
What type of receptors help animals see in low light?
High-sensitivity receptors.
How does an animal know how to react to information they have processed?
The brain compares new information to memories.
What month of the year has 28 days?
All of them.
What must happen for an animal to see an object?
Light must reflect off the object and enter the animal’s eye.
An alligator can use changes in vibrations in their surroundings to detect its prey. Describe what must happen for the alligator to detect the vibrations.
The sensation of vibration changes must travel to the _____ before the alligator can use these changes in vibrations to detect its prey.
A. other parts of the skin
B. brain
C. back
D. prey
B. brain
What type of receptors do daytime animals usually have?
Low-sensitivity receptors.
Why is recognizing prey important for survival?
Animals need to recognize prey to catch food and stay alive.
There’s a one-story house in which everything is yellow. Yellow walls, yellow doors, yellow furniture. What color are the stairs?
There aren’t any—it’s a one-story house.
At night, a streetlight shines on a tree. Explain the path the light must take for a raccoon to see the tree.
1. Light shines on tree
2. Light reflects off tree
3. Light enter the raccoon’s eyes
4. The brain forms an image.
Many snakes have structures on their faces that let them sense the heat of warm-bodied animals. Snakes rely on these sensors to help them hunt for prey.
How do these heat-sensing structures support the overall system of the snake?
They send signals to the brain when an animal may be nearby.
Why would a gecko with high-sensitivity receptors struggle under bright light?
The receptors respond too much and send too much information to the brain.
After an animal forms an image, what does the brain do next?
Processes the information and recognizes the object.
I follow you all the time and copy your every move, but you can’t touch me or catch me. What am I?
Your shadow
Scientists are studying two different animals. One animal hunts for prey at night, while the other hunts for prey during the day. Which of the following claims about how they see light is most accurate?
A. The night hunter has low sensitivity light receptors while the day hunter has high sensitivity receptors.
B. The night hunter and the day hunter both have low sensitivity light receptors.
C. The night hunter and the day hunter both have high sensitivity light receptors.
D. The night hunter has high sensitivity light receptors while the day hunter has low sensitivity receptors.
D. The night hunter has high sensitivity light receptors while the day hunter has low sensitivity receptors.
What do the taste buds on a catfish’s skin help it do?
Since the catfish lives in muddy waters, it uses their taste buds to help it taste its surroundings and find food.
What happens if receptors do not respond enough or respond too much?
The brain cannot form a clear image.
A lizard sees a new insect it has never seen before. How might it react?
It might pause or act cautiously because it doesn't recognize it.
I’m light as a feather, yet the strongest person can’t hold me for five minutes. What am I?
Your breath.
A student claims that light is not needed to see objects because “some animals can see in the dark.”
Explain why this claim is inaccurate.
Even animals that see well at night still need some light—any small amount of light must reflect off an object and enter the eyes for the brain to form an image.
Elephants have special cells that let them use their sense of touch. When there is motion or vibrations in the environment, pressure builds up and causes cells to change.
How can these sensory structures in the feet help the elephant survive?
Their feet feel vibrations that warn them of danger, like a predator nearby.
Why do different animals have different sensitivity levels in their eyes?
They live in environments with different amounts of light.
Put these steps in order:
(1) Brain forms image
(2) Light reflects off object
(3) Light enters the eye
(4) Brain compares image to memories
2 → 3 → 1 → 4
You see me once in June, twice in November and not at all in May. What am I?
The letter 'e'