Human Senses 3. Touch and Vision (5 of 22)

Human Senses

The sensitivity of the elephant's skin to touch and pain varies enormously over its body.
From the delicate soft snout to its thick leathery hide.
We probably seem as strange to an elephant as they do to us.
We look so different but when it comes to our sense of touch we've actually got a lot in common.
Their touch receptors are concentrated where they interact most with the world.
And so need to have the best sense of touch.
And in that respect we humans are exactly the same.
And generally we feel less pain in areas, which are less sensitive to touch.
A tiny paper cut on your finger is excruciating.
But you can cut your leg and it doesn't hurt nearly as much.

So we feel things very differently across our bodies.
But that's not just because of the number of touch receptors in the skin.
Each area of the body sends touch signals to a particular area of the brain.
If the size of your body parts reflected how sensitive they are, you'd be in for a shock.
Our extremely sensitive hands would be huge.
Your feet would be as big as your chest, and half of their length would be your toes.
It 's no wonder they're so ticklish.
And your face is much more sensitive than your chest and back so that too would be bigger.
Your lips would put Mick Jaggers to shame.
Your tongue would be as big as your already oversized hands.