Do Animals Have a Sixth Sense? Science Says Yes

Have you ever felt like your dog had a sixth sense? We know they have outstanding hearing (they’re at our door waiting when we’re a mile away from home) and an unbelievable sense of smell. But they also always seem to know when we are anxious or uneasy, and they are good judges of character. Is it just luck or coincidence, or do dogs have a sixth sense that humans can only dream of? From doting dogs to navigating sea turtles and thunderstorm-predicting elephants, these extraordinary animals seem to have a sixth sense.

What Is a Sixth Sense?

No, this doesn’t mean that your pet can “see dead people.” Rather, a sixth sense refers to an ability beyond the typical five senses of sight, smell, taste, touch, and hearing. Any additional ability is generally referred to as a “sixth sense.”

Many animals have special abilities that are considered a sixth sense. Research published in Nature in 2023 found that many more animals than we previously thought may be able to sense the Earth’s magnetic field. The team found that a molecule called Flavin Adenine Dinucleotide (FAD), which is present in many living cells, plays a role in magnetic sensitivity when it is part of certain proteins called cryptochromes. These proteins are believed to help animals like pigeons and turtles navigate long distances by sensing the Earth’s magnetic field. Now, experts believe that many living things may have this molecule.

“How we sense the external world, from vision, hearing through to touch, taste and smell, is well understood,” co-lead researcher and neuroscientist Professor Richard Baines from The University of Manchester says in a statement. “But by contrast, which animals can sense and how they respond to a magnetic field remains unknown.”

“This study has made significant advances in understanding how animals sense and respond to external magnetic fields — a very active and disputed field,” he adds.

Although we still don’t know everything about how animals can sense magnetic fields and electric currents running underground, new research has shed some light on these areas that tells us more. Other animals also possess unique sixth senses. Learn more below.

Dogs

Dogs can sense their humans’ moods. If your dog has ever snuggled close when you were feeling emotional, then you know this firsthand! According to VCA Animal Hospitals, dogs are intuitive to human moods and feelings, which could be because dogs sense our hormone levels or can just decipher changes in our facial expressions, voice, body language, and smell. Many dogs can also sense changes in human illnesses, such as low blood sugar, and can predict oncoming storms. This could be chalked up to their increased hearing and smelling abilities, or it could be a special sixth sense.

Pigeons

Have you ever wondered how carrier pigeons can find and deliver letters to the right recipient? It sounds like something out of a Harry Potter novel, but in reality, they have somewhat of a sixth sense when it comes to navigation. Pigeons can sense the direction, intensity, and polarity of the Earth’s magnetic field. Some studies suggest that signals transmitted via the inner ear are at play. It’s like a built-in GPS!

Sharks

When sharks are hunting for prey, they use their sixth sense to detect electrical pulses in the ocean. By using an organ called the Ampullae of Lorenzini, which are jelly-filled pockets located in a shark’s head, a shark is able to navigate water through electroreception, according to the Catalina Island Marine Institute. On average, sharks have about 1,500 ampullae on their heads, and experts believe they are sensitive enough to detect electric fields as weak as one billionth of a volt per meter, making them among the most sensitive in the animal kingdom.

Bats

A bat’s sixth sense is located in the cornea of its eyes, according to new research published in 2021. Bats can navigate in the darkness due to a magnetic sense, which may involve magnetoreceptive proteins or iron-based particles.

Elephants

If a thunderstorm is coming your way, an elephant will know before you do. These huge animals can detect approaching storms up to 150 miles away, according to a 2014 study. Researchers found that elephants could sense incoming storms, even several days before the downpour, and would adjust their patterns to prepare for the weather.

“We don’t know if they can actually hear the thunder or if they are detecting other low-frequency sounds generated by the storms that humans can’t hear. But there is no doubt they know what direction the rain is,” says Oliver Frauenfeld, assistant professor in Texas A&M University’s Department of Geography, who worked on the study.

Gecko

A gecko’s ear doesn’t just help it hear—it also helps it sense vibrations on the ground. A June 2025 study of the tokay gecko found that the fluid-filled pouch inside its skull, which helps it balance, also helps it detect underground tremors, according to Earth.com.

“The ear, as we know it, hears airborne sound. But this ancient inner pathway, which is typically linked to balance, helps geckos detect vibrations that travel through media such as ground or water,” explains study co-author Catherine Carr, a Distinguished University Professor of Biology at the University of Maryland. She continues, “This pathway exists in amphibians and fish, and now it has been proven to be preserved in lizards as well.”

Sea Turtles

A Feb. 2025 study published in Nature found that loggerhead sea turtles can learn and remember certain magnetic signatures thanks to their two magnetic senses. Using Earth’s magnetic field, these turtles migrate with the help of their internal map, returning to foraging areas and traveling long distances with remarkable accuracy.

“The ability to distinguish among magnetic fields of different geographic areas likely explains how many animals—not just sea turtles—can navigate long distances to specific locations,” says Ken Lohmann, a professor of biology at UNC-Chapel Hill, in a statement.

This finding also provides valuable information for future research. Catherine Lohmann, a biology professor at UNC-Chapel Hill, says, “We’ve known for 20 years that sea turtles have magnetic maps and now, by showing that they can learn new locations, we have learned how the maps might be built and modified. It is amazing that sea turtles have access to a wealth of invisible information that they use to navigate in ways that are hard for us to even imagine.”

Cats

It’s often said that cats have nine lives. But they also may be able to tell when you’re about to lose yours. There are anecdotal reports of cats, like an animal shelter refugee cat named Oscar, that appear to have sensed death. In 2007, Oscar reportedly predicted over 25 deaths at a nursing home in Providence, R.I., according to CBS News. He was so accurate that the nursing home would call patients’ families to come by if Oscar started spending time in one of the rooms.

Margie Scherk, DVM, president of the American Association of Feline Practitioners and a veterinarian, says to CBS News, “I suspect he is smelling some chemical released just before dying. Cats can smell a lot of things we can’t. And cats can certainly detect illness.”

We may not know exactly how these animals acquire their amazing sixth senses, but one thing’s for sure: animals are special in ways we are just beginning to understand.

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