Super supper snoopers: these creatures don't just hear, see, and smell the way we do. They use super senses in amazing ways to search for supper

Ranger Rick, August, 1997 by Dan Guynn, Jr.

These creatures don't just hear, see, and smell the way we do. They use super senses in amazing ways to search for supper.by Dan Guynn, Jr.

A shark can hear, smell, and see its prey. And when the prey is close by, the shark can sense the tiny amount of electricity that animals give off. So a fish hiding in murky water or under the sand isn't hidden well enough from a hungry shark.

When a butterfly walks across a delicious-tasting liquid, it stops. Then it uncurls a tube from its mouth and sucks up the juice. But how do butterflies know that something is good to eat just by walking on it? They can taste with their feet!

Polar bears are super sniffers. They can pick up odors from really far away. A hungry bear may wander around here and there. But once it smells food, such as the stinky scent of a dead whale, it goes straight to its dinner--even if it's as far as 100 miles (160 km) away!

Sometimes a honey bee sees bright patterns in a flower that looks plain to us. These patterns reflect ultraviolet light, which people can't see. The ultraviolet colors are like signs that say to the bee, "Here's where you'll find my delicious nectar!" And that's just one more amazing way that animals find food.