Sound - Stage 4 Comp - Amazing Animal Hearing - Comprehension Pack.pdf

STAGE 4 Unit focus: Sound Text focus: Information Text Amazing Animal Hearing Humans have pre y good hearing, but it’s nothing compared to some members of the animal kingdom! Bats Bats have incredible hearing. What’s more, for some species of bat, sound is the most important sense. That’s because th...

STAGE 4 Unit focus: Sound Text focus: Information Text Amazing Animal Hearing Humans have pre y good hearing, but it’s nothing compared to some members of the animal kingdom! Bats Bats have incredible hearing. What’s more, for some species of bat, sound is the most important sense. That’s because they use sound to help them navigate and find prey. It is called echolocation and it allows them to ‘see’ in the dark. Echolocation works by the bats making high-pitched sounds as they fly. These sound waves bounce off objects around them, and even tiny insects. The bats hear the echo arrive back at their ears and can tell where the objects are. Other animals that use echolocation are dolphins and whales. Humans have designed machines which use a similar strategy called ‘sonar’. Submarines and ships use sonar to find objects underwater using sound. Pigeons Pigeons can hear sounds which are outside the range of human hearing. Believe it or not, they can hear a storm approaching days before it arrives. They can also detect in advance when a volcano or earthquake is about to occur. This is because they can hear low-pitched sounds called ‘infrasounds’. Some scientists think it is their amazing hearing which is the secret to pigeons’ fantastic navigation skills. Moths A moth called the greater wax moth has been found to be an expert in hearing high pitches. The pitch of sounds is measured in a unit called a kilohertz (kHz). Humans can hear sounds up to 20kHz. Sounds above this pitch are called ultrasounds and we would need machines to help us detect them. Dolphins can hear up to 160kHz. Meanwhile, the greater wax moth can hear up to 300kHz. It’s hard to imagine what this would be like because it is so far outside the range of human hearing. It means that the moths can communicate without other creatures hearing. Useful if you’re trying to stay away from predators. Whales Whales rely on sound to communicate across the vastness of the oceans. They use very low and very loud sounds which can travel a long way. Sound travels quickly through water so this helps the sound spread far and wide. Whales can hear each other hundreds or thousands of miles apart! However, sound pollution from ships can make it harder for whales to communicate. Rea e um http://www.literacyshedplus.com C u r r ic ul Th all resources ©2023 Literacy Shed und A ding ro Cats Cats may be born deaf but within a few weeks, they have developed excellent hearing. They can hear sounds that are both lower and higher than the hearing range of humans. In addition, they also have very acute hearing. This means that they can pick up very quiet sounds. This is helpful as they can hear the slightest movements of their prey. Cats can also rotate their ears independently of each other. This helps them to locate the source of a sound. Cats also use ear movements to communicate as anyone who has tried to stroke a cat when its ears are pinned back may have discovered. Elephants Elephants communicate over large distances using low-pitched sounds. They have large ears which help them to funnel sound into their ears and also help them stay cool. Scientists have also discovered that elephants use their feet to help them hear. That is because they can detect the sounds through the vibrations in the ground beneath them. VOCABULARY FOCUS 1. What is meant by the word navigate? 2. Find and copy a word from the section about bats which is similar in meaning to method or technique. 3. Find and copy a word which means the great size. 4. What does acute tell us about a cat’s hearing? 5. What word could replace locate? E R R S VIPERS QUESTIONS Why is the word ‘see’ inside inverted commas? What are ultrasounds? Besides hearing, what else do elephants use their ears for? Looking at the whole text, match each animal with its main strength in hearing according to the text: The best long range hearing in water. The best long range hearing on land. Able to hear lowest frequency sounds. Able to hear highest frequency sounds. Able to hear very quiet sounds. E Able to use sound to see. The writer is impressed by the hearing of these animals. How do they show this? all resources ©2023 Literacy Shed http://www.literacyshedplus.com