Big Media - Animal Super Senses: Series 1 (2020)

Just like us, animals rely on their senses to communicate with each other, to find their way around, to find food and to stay safe.

Part 1: Sight
In this episode we will explore the animal's sense of sight. You will see there's a lot more to this than meets the naked eye. You won't believe how some animals see the world, including the Nankeen Kestrel, Eagle, Owl, Cheetah, and Chameleon.


Part 2: Hearing
On this episode we travel from the desert, to the forest, Australia to Borneo and back to learn how species as diverse as Bat-eared Foxes, the Bilby, Deer, Kangaroo Rats, cicadas, Proboscis Monkeys and other creatures never miss an auditory trick. Species: Kangaroo, Bilby, Bats.


Part 3: Touch
In this episode of Animal Super Senses, we get in touch with the feelings of wild animals. Just like humans animals rely heavily on their sense of touch, every day in every way. There may be a fine line between pleasure and pain, but not knowing the difference between the two can be absolutely fatal


Part 4: Taste and Smell
We examine how things taste, and how vital scent is from the animal perspective. But their sense of smell will also detect the scent of odorants carried through the air. In mammals, taste receptor cells are scattered over the tongue but how they work underwater, well, it's a whole other world.


Part 5: Superhuman Senses
This episode is all about "superhuman" senses - animal sensory systems that can detect magnetic fields (magneto- reception), electric fields (electroreception), and infrared radiation.


Part 6: Sixth Sense
There's a whole world, and more than one spectrum of sensations that animals are aware of, which surpass humans. There's a kind of "sixth sense" that some animals have, which still defies explanation. Call it extra-sensory perception animal abilities we can't entirely explain.


Part 7: Sense of Timing
In this episode, we examine how every animal has what could be called a sense of rhythm - the human-animal included. To give an obvious example, there's our internal body clock which responds to the so-called Circadian rhythm. That's the 24 hour night and day cycle.


Part 8: Underwater
While all life began in the oceans, human beings now rely on technology to navigate the seven seas - left to our own devices; we're like the proverbial fish out of water. Only the other way around.


Part 9: Sky
Animals that live life on the wing, have a vast expanse of the sky to navigate, find mates, locate food, and avoid predators… Living in this aerial realm requires a unique set of senses, specialized to cope with life above ground.


Part 10: Night
In this episode of Animal Super Senses, we find out more about the animals that live in the shadows and the adaptations they need to survive… Nocturnal animals have taken to this dark world for good reason but to navigate life in the dark, you need some special abilities.


Part 11: Earth
In this episode, we find out more about the animals that have their feet firmly planted on or under the ground. How are their senses tuned to survive? What we see above the ground is only a small part of the natural world, a busy, complex web of life lies just beneath our feet.


Part 12: Communication
Animals use communication to attract mates, warn off predators, defend territory, or trick their prey. And of course, it's the senses that play the key role - Sight, smell, taste, touch, and hearing - all are employed to send signals to others in the hope actions speak louder than words.


Part 13: The Most Amazing Senses
In the final episode of animal Super Senses, we look at special weapons that help some animals to govern the wilderness. In this episode, we literally see it, hear it, touch it, smell it and taste it as animals do. Come and see the champions of the animal supremeness yourselves.