Animal Senses Explained: A Guide to the Five Senses and Beyond

Animals perceive their environment through a range of sensory systems that extend well beyond the traditional five senses of sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch. This article explains how these senses work across different species, describes additional sensory modalities such as echolocation, electroreception, and magnetoreception, and provides a practical checklist of animal senses with examples. The content is written for students, researchers, life-science professionals, and informed general readers who need a structured overview of sensory biology with attention to how sensory knowledge applies in animal care and management settings.

The Traditional Five Senses in Animals

The classical model of five senses has shaped scientific inquiry for centuries, yet growing evidence indicates that sensory perception is far more multifaceted and multilayered than this traditional framework suggests. Research on human sensory perception now recognizes interoception, proprioception, equilibrioception, thermoception, nociception, and other specialty modalities, with possibly as many as 30 distinct senses. The same expansion of understanding applies to animals, where each species possesses a unique sensory profile shaped by evolutionary pressures and ecological niche (Humans May Actually Have More Than 30 Senses).

Vision and Phototransduction

Vision provides animals with an immense amount of information about the outside world. The initial format in which this information reaches the retina consists of photons, particles of energy radiation of a given wavelength emitted or reflected from surroundings. The brain perceives this information in electrical signals via action potentials and changes in electrochemical gradients. The processes involved in the transduction of photons into electrical potentials involve complex pathways and a range of molecules central to the neurobiology of vision (Retinal phototransduction).

Different animal groups have evolved visual systems suited to their ecological needs. Predatory birds possess high visual acuity for spotting prey from distance. Nocturnal animals such as owls and cats have enhanced low-light vision through adaptations like larger corneas, tapetum lucidum, and increased rod photoreceptor density. Insects such as bees perceive ultraviolet light, which allows them to detect floral patterns invisible to humans. Some snakes possess infrared-sensitive pit organs that function alongside their visual system to detect warm-blooded prey.

Hearing and the Vestibular System

Hearing in animals involves the detection of pressure waves through specialized mechanoreceptors. The range of audible frequencies varies dramatically across species. Elephants communicate using infrasound below human hearing range, while bats and dolphins use ultrasound above it. The auditory system works in close coordination with the vestibular system, which processes head motion and coordinates visual and postural movements to maintain equilibrium.

The vestibular system is an intricate organization that involves multiple levels of sensory processing. The five major vestibular structures are located in the inner ear and include the utricle, the saccule, and the lateral, superior, and posterior semicircular canals. Hair cells on the neuroepithelium of the peripheral vestibular organs carry sensory impulses to primary processing centers in the brainstem and the cerebellum. These areas send input via ascending and descending projections to coordinate vital reflexes, such as the vestibuloocular reflex and the vestibulospinal reflex, which allow for the proper orientation of the eyes and body in response to head motion. Vestibular centers in the brainstem, cerebellum, and cerebral cortex function to integrate sensory information from the peripheral vestibular organs, visual system, and proprioceptive system to allow for proper balance and orientation of the body in its environment (Anatomy of the vestibular system).

Taste and Smell as Chemical Senses

Taste and smell are chemical senses that detect soluble molecules in the environment. Taste receptors on the tongue and oral cavity detect sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and umami compounds. Smell, or olfaction, involves receptors in the nasal epithelium that detect volatile airborne molecules. Many animals rely heavily on these chemical senses for finding food, identifying mates, detecting predators, and navigating their environment.

Spiny lobsters use their chemical senses to acquire resources such as shelter and food, avoid predators, and interact with conspecifics. Research on early benthic juvenile Caribbean spiny lobsters shows that their olfactory receptor neurons have generally similar patterns of spontaneous activity, tuning characteristics, sensitivity, and kinetic parameters of responses to chemicals compared to adults. These juveniles produce currents following stimulation with food-related chemicals, navigate through chemical plumes to locate the source of food-related chemicals, show alarm responses to conspecific hemolymph, and groom their antennules following stimulation with L-glutamate. The basic structural organization of the antennules is similar in early benthic juvenile, older juvenile, and adult lobsters (Chemically mediated neural and behavioral responses in spiny lobsters).

Touch and Somatosensation

Touch involves mechanoreceptors in the skin that detect pressure, vibration, and texture. Beyond simple contact, the somatosensory system includes thermoreception for temperature detection and nociception for pain detection. Tactile sensitivity varies widely across species. Whiskers on cats and rodents provide detailed spatial information about nearby objects. The skin of elephants is highly sensitive to touch despite its thick appearance, allowing social bonding and communication through physical contact.

Sensory Prioritization in Food Evaluation

Animals do not use all senses equally when evaluating food. Sensory prioritization depends on dietary specialization and food item properties. A field-based study of wild vervet monkeys assessed the use of sensory cues during food evaluation and food-related behaviors such as muzzle contact in two mixed-sex groups including three age classes over a period of five months. Using 18,868 food evaluation observations collected over 44 hours of focal follows, researchers found that vervets mainly relied on their sense of vision when evaluating food, accounting for 96.8% of all instances. Sensory usage varied according to food category, and sex differences were observed only in the use of smell for a subset of food items. Juveniles initiated muzzle contact and used tactile inspection more often than adults, whereas females received muzzle contact more often than males. The low rejection rates suggested that most food items were familiar to the vervets regardless of age and sex. These findings align with optimal foraging theory, according to which the food evaluation process should be adapted to the familiarity of food items and allows individuals to maximize their intake of energy and critical nutrients while minimizing the time and effort in food evaluation (Which senses do wild vervet monkeys use for evaluating potential food items).

This research has practical implications for animal care. When introducing new feed items to captive or farmed animals, caregivers should consider which senses the species prioritizes. For visually oriented species, the appearance and presentation of food matters. For chemically oriented species, odor and flavor profiles are more critical. Observing which sensory cues animals use before accepting or rejecting food can guide feeding strategies and reduce waste.

Beyond the Five Senses

The traditional five-sense framework omits several sensory modalities that are essential for animal survival and behavior. These additional senses include equilibrioception, proprioception, thermoception, nociception, echolocation, electroreception, and magnetoreception.

Echolocation

Echolocation is an active sensory system in which an animal emits sound pulses and interprets the returning echoes to build a spatial map of its environment. Bats and toothed whales are the best-known echolocators. Bats emit high-frequency calls and analyze the timing and frequency shifts of returning echoes to detect, identify, and track prey in darkness. Dolphins and other toothed whales produce clicks that travel through water and reflect off objects, providing detailed information about size, shape, distance, and movement. Some shrews and birds also use a basic form of echolocation for orientation in confined spaces.

Electroreception

Electroreception is the ability to detect electric fields in the environment. This sense is found in several fish groups, including sharks, rays, and electric fish, as well as in some amphibians and monotreme mammals such as the platypus. Sharks use ampullae of Lorenzini to detect the weak electric fields generated by the muscle contractions of prey. Electric fish such as the elephantnose fish generate electric fields and detect distortions caused by nearby objects, allowing them to navigate and communicate in turbid water where vision is ineffective.

Magnetoreception

Magnetoreception is the ability to detect Earth's magnetic field for orientation and navigation. Research on cognitive maps and the magnetic sense in vertebrates indicates that this sensory modality supports spatial learning and long-distance navigation in diverse vertebrate groups (Cognitive maps and the magnetic sense in vertebrates). The magnetic sense in animal navigation has been studied across birds, fish, reptiles, and mammals, with proposed mechanisms including magnetite-based receptors and chemical radical pair reactions (Magnetic Sense in Animal Navigation). Migratory birds use magnetic information to maintain heading during seasonal migrations. Sea turtles and salmon use magnetic cues to return to their natal beaches and rivers for breeding. Some mammals, including rodents and bats, also appear to use magnetic information for homing and navigation.

Proprioception and Equilibrioception

Proprioception is the sense of body position and movement, mediated by receptors in muscles, tendons, and joints. This sense allows animals to coordinate limb movements without visual feedback. Equilibrioception, or the sense of balance, is mediated primarily by the vestibular system and provides information about head position and motion relative to gravity. Both senses are critical for locomotion, posture, and coordinated movement across all animal species.

Thermoception and Nociception

Thermoception is the detection of temperature through specialized thermoreceptors. Many animals use thermal information to find optimal habitats, regulate body temperature, and detect prey. Pit vipers possess infrared-sensitive organs that detect the body heat of warm-blooded prey. Nociception is the detection of potentially damaging stimuli and is the physiological basis of pain. Several theoretical frameworks have been proposed to explain the physiological basis of pain, although none yet completely accounts for all aspects of pain perception. These frameworks range from specificity theory to the Gate Control Theory of Pain proposed by Melzack and Wall (Theories of pain).

At a Glance: Animal Senses Checklist

The following table provides a practical checklist of major sensory modalities, their functions, and representative animal examples.

Sensory Systems and Pain Perception

Pain perception is a critical sensory function with direct relevance to animal welfare. The relationship between pain and other physiological states, particularly sleep, has important implications for animal management. Pain can be both a cause and a consequence of sleep deficiency. This bidirectional relationship has important implications for clinical management and for chronic pain prevention more broadly. Neurobiological mechanisms involved in the modulation of pain by sleep deficiency include the opioid, monoaminergic, orexinergic, immune, melatonin, and endocannabinoid systems, the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis, and adenosine and nitric oxide signaling (Sleep deficiency and chronic pain).

The endocannabinoid system plays a significant role in pain modulation. Preclinical rodent models have advanced understanding of the underlying sites and mechanisms of action of cannabinoids and the endocannabinoid system in suppressing nociceptive signaling and behaviors. Substantial evidence from animal models supports the contention that cannabinoids and endocannabinoid system modulators hold considerable promise for analgesic drug development, although the challenge of translating this knowledge into clinically useful medicines is significant (Cannabinoids, the endocannabinoid system, and pain).

Neuropathic pain represents a specific category of pain arising from damage to the nervous system. Neuropathy is a common complication of long-term diabetes that impairs quality of life by producing pain, sensory loss, and limb amputation. Studies in animal models of diabetes have identified multiple plausible mechanisms of glucotoxicity to the nervous system, including post-translational modification of proteins by glucose and increased glucose metabolism by aldose reductase, glycolysis, and other catabolic pathways. Factors not necessarily downstream of hyperglycemia can also contribute to the incidence, progression, and severity of neuropathy and neuropathic pain. Peripheral nerve contains insulin receptors that transduce the neurotrophic and neurosupportive properties of insulin, independent of systemic glucose regulation (Diabetic neuropathy and neuropathic pain).

For animal caregivers, recognizing signs of pain is essential for timely intervention. Behavioral indicators of pain in farm animals include reduced activity, altered posture, decreased feed intake, vocalization, and changes in social interaction. Any suspected pain condition warrants professional veterinary assessment instead of self-directed treatment.

Mechanosensation and Cellular Sensory Processing

Sensory perception operates at multiple levels, from whole-organism behavior to cellular mechanosensing. Mechanosensitive ion channels such as Piezo1 allow cells to detect physical forces in their environment. Research on acute lung injury demonstrates that Piezo1 senses pathological physical strain and orchestrates pro-inflammatory responses. In this context, mechanical stress promotes excessive neutrophil extracellular trap formation and exacerbates lung injury through Piezo1-mediated mitochondrial dysfunction. Pharmacological blockade of Piezo1 effectively suppresses these effects, identifying mechanosensing as a fundamental mechanism driving pathological cell overactivation (Mechanical stress promotes excessive NETs).

This cellular-level sensory processing has implications for understanding how animals respond to physical environments. In livestock housing, mechanical factors such as flooring type, ventilation pressure, and stocking density create physical forces that animals experience continuously. Understanding mechanosensation at the cellular level can inform housing design that minimizes pathological stress responses.

Neuropeptides and Sensory Modulation

Neuropeptides are signaling molecules that modulate sensory processing across the nervous system. Humans have a diverse collection of neuropeptides that can influence a multitude of activities. There are now over 100 known neuropeptides and probably many more yet to be identified from the over 1000 predicted peptides encoded in the genome. While diverse, peptides generally share three common characteristics: post-translational processing and release from vesicles, activation of cell-surface receptors over a relatively large distance, and modulation of target cells that are often in the brain and periphery. Within the brain, neuropeptides can modulate the activity of co-released neurotransmitters to either increase or decrease the strength of synaptic signaling. Within the periphery, neuropeptides can function similar to peptide hormones and modulate nearly all bodily functions. Given the clear involvement of the neuropeptide CGRP in migraine and emerging evidence for other peptides, neuropeptides may help awaken the senses and contribute to heightened sensory states (Overview of Neuropeptides).

In animal management, understanding neuropeptide function helps explain why sensory experiences can have outsized effects on behavior and physiology. Stressful sensory environments may trigger neuropeptide-mediated responses that affect feed intake, reproduction, and immune function.

Practical Assessment of Sensory Function in Animals

Assessing sensory function in animals requires systematic observation and record keeping. The following steps provide a framework for evaluating whether animals can perceive their environment adequately.

Step 1: Observe Baseline Behavior

Document normal behavior for each animal or group. Note how animals respond to visual stimuli, sounds, odors, and physical contact. Establish what constitutes typical responsiveness for the species and individual.

Step 2: Test Individual Sensory Modalities

Conduct simple, non-invasive assessments of each sensory system. Observe whether the animal tracks moving objects visually, startles or orients to sounds, investigates novel odors, responds to food by taste, and reacts to gentle touch. Document any lack of response that might indicate sensory impairment.

Step 3: Monitor Changes Over Time

Record sensory responsiveness at regular intervals. Sudden changes in sensory function may indicate injury, infection, or neurological disease. Gradual declines may reflect aging processes. Maintain dated records that allow comparison across time.

Step 4: Evaluate Environmental Sensory Load

Assess the sensory environment in which animals live. Consider noise levels, lighting intensity and spectrum, air quality and odor load, and physical surfaces. Excessive or deficient sensory stimulation can affect welfare and productivity.

Step 5: Escalate to Professional Assessment

When sensory deficits are suspected, escalate to veterinary assessment. Document specific observations, including which senses appear affected, when changes were first noticed, and any associated behavioral or health changes. This information supports accurate diagnosis and treatment planning.

Records and Measurements for Sensory Monitoring

Maintaining structured records supports evidence-based decisions about animal sensory health. The following table outlines recommended data fields for sensory monitoring programs.

Common Failure Patterns in Sensory Assessment

Several recurring problems undermine effective sensory assessment in animal settings.

Overreliance on a Single Sense

Humans are visually dominant, and this bias can lead to underestimating the importance of non-visual senses in animals. Research on nature experiences notes that because of the domination of the visual sense in humans, most research has focused on visual aspects, yet humans and animals are multisensory, and many benefits are delivered through non-visual senses (A Review of the Benefits of Nature Experiences). Animal caregivers should consciously evaluate all sensory channels instead of assuming visual observation captures the full picture.

Confusing Sensory Impairment with Behavioral Problems

Animals with undetected sensory deficits may appear unresponsive, aggressive, or anxious. A deaf animal may startle easily when approached from behind. An animal with vision loss may resist moving through unfamiliar spaces. These behaviors can be misinterpreted as temperament problems instead of sensory impairment. Systematic sensory assessment helps distinguish cause from symptom.

Inconsistent Observation Methods

Sensory assessment requires standardized methods to produce comparable data. Different observers may apply different criteria for what constitutes a response. Training observers and using written protocols improves consistency. Recording observations promptly reduces memory bias.

Ignoring Age-Related Sensory Decline

Sensory function changes with age across species. Older animals commonly experience reduced vision and hearing. Management systems should accommodate age-related sensory changes through modified handling, housing, and feeding approaches.

Welfare and Safety Context

Sensory biology has direct welfare implications. Animals that cannot perceive their environment adequately experience stress, reduced ability to find food and water, increased risk of injury, and impaired social interaction. Housing and management systems should account for the sensory capabilities of the species being kept.

Pain management is a core welfare concern. The recognition that pain involves complex physiological mechanisms, including the endocannabinoid system and interactions with sleep, supports the need for professional veterinary involvement in pain assessment and treatment. Self-directed administration of analgesics or supplements without veterinary guidance carries risks. Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) has become a popular dietary supplement used for a variety of purposes, including its most common use as an anti-inflammatory agent. It has been well-investigated in animal models as well as in human clinical trials and experiments. A variety of health-specific outcome measures are improved with MSM supplementation, including inflammation, joint and muscle pain, oxidative stress, and antioxidant capacity. As a Generally Recognized As Safe substance, MSM is well-tolerated by most individuals at dosages of up to four grams daily, with few known and mild side effects (Methylsulfonylmethane). However, supplement use should follow veterinary guidance, and precise dosing for optimal benefit remains under investigation.

Limitations of Current Sensory Knowledge

Understanding of animal senses remains incomplete. Several limitations constrain current knowledge.

Species-Specific Data Gaps

Detailed sensory research exists for a relatively small number of model species. Domestic livestock, companion animals, and laboratory rodents are better characterized than most wildlife species. Extrapolating sensory capabilities from one species to another requires caution.

Methodological Challenges

Measuring sensory perception in non-human animals is inherently difficult. Behavioral assays may miss sensory capabilities that animals possess but do not express in test conditions. Physiological measurements such as electroretinography and auditory brainstem response provide objective data but require specialized equipment and expertise.

Individual Variation

Sensory function varies among individuals within a species. Age, genetics, health status, and prior experience all influence sensory perception. Population-level data may not predict individual animal capabilities.

Evolutionary Context

Sensory systems evolve in response to ecological demands. Species from different habitats may have dramatically different sensory profiles even when closely related. Understanding the natural history of a species provides essential context for interpreting its sensory biology.

Professional Escalation Criteria

Certain observations warrant prompt professional assessment. Escalate to veterinary care when any of the following are observed.

Acute Sensory Loss

Sudden loss of vision, hearing, or balance requires immediate veterinary evaluation. Acute sensory loss may indicate trauma, infection, toxicity, or neurological disease requiring urgent treatment.

Signs of Pain

Behavioral indicators of pain include reduced activity, altered posture, decreased feed intake, vocalization, guarding of body parts, and changes in social interaction. Pain that persists beyond expected healing time or that occurs without obvious cause requires veterinary assessment.

Neurological Signs

Head tilt, circling, falling, tremors, seizures, and abnormal eye movements may indicate vestibular or neurological dysfunction. These signs require prompt professional evaluation.

Behavioral Change with No Obvious Cause

Sudden changes in temperament, activity, or social behavior may reflect undetected sensory impairment or pain. When environmental and management factors have been ruled out, veterinary assessment is appropriate.

Suspected Toxic Exposure

Exposure to substances that may affect sensory or neurological function requires immediate veterinary attention. Do not wait for symptoms to develop before seeking professional advice.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many senses do animals actually have?

The number of senses depends on how senses are defined. The traditional five senses of sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch represent a simplified framework. Current understanding recognizes additional modalities including equilibrioception, proprioception, thermoception, nociception, and specialized senses such as echolocation, electroreception, and magnetoreception. Research on human sensory perception suggests possibly as many as 30 distinct senses, and animals likely possess comparable or greater diversity depending on the species (Humans May Actually Have More Than 30 Senses).

Which animal has the best sense of smell?

Several animals are recognized for exceptional olfactory ability. Dogs are well known for their capacity to detect odors at extremely low concentrations and are used in detection work. Sharks detect blood and other chemical signals in water at remarkable dilutions. Insects such as moths use olfactory cues to locate mates over long distances. The best sense of smell depends on the specific compounds being detected and the ecological context.

How does echolocation work in bats and dolphins?

Echolocation involves emitting sound pulses and analyzing returning echoes. Bats produce high-frequency calls through their larynx or nose and interpret the timing, frequency, and intensity of returning echoes to determine the location, size, shape, and movement of objects. Dolphins produce clicks through their nasal passages that travel through water and reflect off objects. Both groups process echo information in specialized auditory pathways to build spatial representations of their environment.

What is the difference between taste and smell in animals?

Taste, or gustation, detects soluble compounds through receptors on the tongue and oral cavity and typically distinguishes sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and umami. Smell, or olfaction, detects volatile airborne compounds through receptors in the nasal epithelium. Taste requires direct contact with the stimulus, while smell can detect stimuli at a distance. Many animals use both senses together when evaluating food, with smell providing advance information and taste confirming acceptability upon contact.

Can animals sense Earth's magnetic field?

Yes, magnetoreception has been documented in diverse vertebrate groups. Migratory birds use magnetic information for navigation during seasonal migrations. Sea turtles and salmon use magnetic cues to return to natal sites for breeding. Research on cognitive maps and the magnetic sense in vertebrates indicates that this sensory modality supports spatial learning and long-distance navigation (Cognitive maps and the magnetic sense in vertebrates). The magnetic sense in animal navigation has been studied across birds, fish, reptiles, and mammals (Magnetic Sense in Animal Navigation).

How do animals detect pain?

Pain detection, or nociception, involves specialized receptors that respond to potentially damaging stimuli including intense pressure, extreme temperature, and tissue-damaging chemicals. Several theoretical frameworks have been proposed to explain the physiological basis of pain, although none yet completely accounts for all aspects of pain perception (Theories of pain). Pain perception involves complex processing in the spinal cord and brain, and it is modulated by multiple systems including endogenous opioids and the endocannabinoid system.

Why do some animals see colors that humans cannot see?

Different species possess different types and numbers of photoreceptor cells. Humans have three types of cone cells for color vision, making us trichromatic. Many birds and reptiles have four cone types, allowing tetrachromatic vision that includes ultraviolet wavelengths. Bees and other insects also perceive ultraviolet light. Some animals have fewer cone types, such as dogs with two types, making them dichromatic. The specific photoreceptor complement of each species reflects its ecological needs.

How does sensory decline affect older animals?

Sensory function typically declines with age across species. Common age-related changes include reduced visual acuity, hearing loss, and decreased olfactory sensitivity. Older animals may become less responsive to environmental cues, more easily startled, and less able to find food or navigate familiar spaces. Management adjustments such as modified handling, consistent housing arrangements, and enhanced feeding cues can support older animals with sensory decline.

Related Articles

• Animal Biology
• Animal Research
• What Is a Buffer in Biology? Definition and Examples
• What Is a Stimulus in Biology? Definition and Examples
• What Is a Trait in Biology? Definition and Examples

References and Further Reading

• NCBI Literature Resources. National Center for Biotechnology Information.
• PubMed. National Library of Medicine.
• Anatomy of the vestibular system: a review.. NeuroRehabilitation, 2013.
• Theories of pain: from specificity to gate control.. Journal of neurophysiology, 2013.
• Methylsulfonylmethane: Applications and Safety of a Novel Dietary Supplement.. Nutrients, 2017.
• Sleep deficiency and chronic pain: potential underlying mechanisms and clinical implications.. Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology, 2020.
• Cannabinoids, the endocannabinoid system, and pain: a review of preclinical studies.. Pain, 2021.
• Diabetic neuropathy and neuropathic pain: a (con)fusion of pathogenic mechanisms?. Pain, 2020.
• Retinal phototransduction.. Neurosciences (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia), 2014.
• Overview of Neuropeptides: Awakening the Senses?. Headache, 2017.
• Which senses do wild vervet monkeys (Chlorocebus pygerythrus) use for evaluating potential food items?. 2026.
• Mechanical stress promotes excessive NETs and exacerbates acute lung injury via Piezo1-mediated mitochondrial dysfunction.. 2026.
• Chemically mediated neural and behavioral responses in early benthic juvenile Caribbean spiny lobsters, Panulirus argus.. 2026.
• PvrA-Mediated Inhibition of Choline and Ethanolamine Uptake Promotes &lt,i&gt,Pseudomonas aeruginosa&lt,/i&gt, Colonization in the Host Environment.. 2026.
• From Synapsia to Ideas: Nitric Oxide and Sensory Roots of Knowledge.. 2025.
• A Review of the Benefits of Nature Experiences: More Than Meets the Eye. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2017.
• A Tour of the Senses: How Your Brain Interprets the World. 2012.
• Blake’s ‘Horses of Instruction’. 2018.
• Humans May Actually Have More Than 30 Senses: Reconsidering Sensory Perception Beyond the Classical Five. Dermatology and Dermatitis, 2025.
• Beyond five senses: Shaping memorable tourism experiences. Annals of Tourism Research, 2026.
• Exploring the Extension of Virtual Reality beyond the Five Senses: A Study on Human Aura Detection. Applied Sciences, 2023.
• Cognitive maps and the magnetic sense in vertebrates. Current Opinion in Neurobiology, 2024.
• Magnetic Sense in Animal Navigation. Encyclopedia of Neuroscience Volumes 1 11, 2009.

This article is educational and does not replace institutional policy, professional advice, or applicable safety and regulatory requirements.