An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us

An Immense World argues that the world around us is deep and richer than we know because we are confined by the constraints of our own sensors. Other animals operate under different constraints and so perceive a very different world than what we are familiar with. And even everyday things, a street or a plant or a featureless body of water, are ric... See more

Finding a more useful umwelt

Add up all the senses you use and the things you notice: that’s your umwelt.

It’s pretty obvious that your dog has a different one than you do. They see fewer colors and smell far more intelligently. Sea slugs see a much wider range of colors, and bats can sense vibrations.

Among humans, we each have our own umwelt. Payi... See more