The natural world is filled with all sorts of smells, they carry a variety of information about the surrounding space. Therefore, the sense of smell is a very important sense organ for animals.
The ability to smell sensitively is probably the most important feature of most animals. With the help of olfactory receptors, animals search for food and sexual partners, recognize their young and enemies. A keen sense of smell also gives animals the ability to avoid many life-threatening situations.
The mole needs smell more than other animals
Underground inhabitants by nature have poor eyesight, and all other senses are more developed in them. Hearing, touch and excellent sense of smell give the animal the ability to navigate in space without serious restrictions.
Recently, scientists have found that the sense of smell in moles is stereoscopic, that is, for the correct identification of odors, an underground digger needs both nostrils. If you block one of them, the animal will start to get lost in the surrounding space.
Moles also have a special tactile sensitivity. They literally scan space using the hairs of the hide and detect any vibration emitted by a moving object.
Animals with a developed sense of smell
According to zoologists, sharks have the sharpest sense of smell. They are able to smell a drop of blood in the ratio of 100 million parts of water. This makes the sea predator the most dangerous enemy among her bloodthirsty brethren.
The sense of smell of dogs is legendary. Service dogs, taking the trail, are able to find the culprit. And hunting dogs search for game by smell and clearly smell the recent trail of the animal. The scent of dogs is an integral part of their life; it is very difficult for an animal that has lost its sense of smell to live.
Cats, contrary to popular belief, also have a strong need for an acute sense of smell. Although the sight of small predators is stronger than scent, the latter plays an important role in reproduction and hunting.
Lizards are able to smell prey that is 8 cm deep. Its larger congeners, crocodiles, hunt their prey with only their eyes and large nostrils sticking out of the water. Thanks to this, their attack is swift and deadly.
Even the common pig is famous for helping people scent truffle colonies. The sense of smell is highly developed in birds, especially in scavengers. Rabbits mark their territory and so recognize each other depending on gender.
Smell is an important part of the life of the entire animal world, and not only. A person who has lost the ability to smell, becomes more vulnerable and less impressionable. Nature does not create unnecessary things, and the "organs of smell" are a vivid confirmation of this.
