Did you ever wonder what it would be like to experience the world as a dog? What they hear as we speak, the scents they smell and what that means to them?
UMWELT is the “world as experienced by a particular organism” according to Google dictionary. In the recent past, it was generally accepted that other organisms had no emotions and our egocentric view stated we had dominion over all other creatures. As science progresses and we develop ways to study animal perception, it’s intriguing to appreciate how animals perceive and navigate their environment. They have evolved in specific niches which allow them to process information in a way we could never do. A great example is that of bats, who use echolocation to navigate and feed. They find insects, avoid obstacles, and decipher which signals are theirs when other bats are flying. Umwelt opens the door to our understanding of the full extent of the evolutionary process, its underlying drive and complex continuous forces. It also brings an awareness for light, noise and air alterations that we often bring as we enter an environment and the potential deleterious effects of these changes to other species.
Our true potential, as we continue to evolve as people, recognizes our interdependency with other species. We are part of a living, integrated process.