14 Highly Developed Smelling Animals
What are the animals with the most developed sense of smell? Here is a ranking of 14 species that have a very fine nose to say the least.
Smell is one of the many senses possessed by animals. Through it, organisms are able to identify and analyze airborne molecules.
The latter enter through the nasal passages and reach the olfactory bulb, where they come into contact with odor receptor proteins. From there, the information travels to the brain.
Each type of receptor is capable of detecting a certain substance. The combination of various receptors, however, offers the possibility of identifying an infinite number of substances. Animals with a highly developed sense of smell enjoy this ability thanks to the amount of genes that encode the different receptor proteins.
The animals with the most developed sense of smell in the world
African elephants, the animals with the most developed sense of smell
The African elephant ( Loxodonta africana ) is the animal with the best sense of smell. This mammal inhabits at least 37 countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Furthermore, being a migratory animal, it is able to survive in numerous different habitats, from dense woods to beaches.
Nowadays, the different populations of these animals are fragmented. However, thanks to the conservation work carried out, it seems that the number of individuals is increasing.
According to the study cited, the African elephant has about 1948 genes responsible for the configuration of olfactory receptors. This developed sense of smell may be due to its long trunk, which it uses as a hand. The receptors, however, are not found in the trunk, but in the head.
However, it is thanks to this tool that they get their food and, since it is so far out of their sight, elephants need a good sense of smell. On the other hand, it is possible that this powerful sense of smell is associated with the good memory these animals are endowed with.
Mice and rats
Mice and rats are nocturnal rodent animals. In general, animals that follow this lifestyle are endowed with weak eyesight and a highly developed sense of smell. This phenomenon could be due to the fact that, in the dark, sight is not of great importance, while the use of other senses is required such as hearing, thermoreception or smell.
Rats have 1207 olfactory genes, while mice have 1130. In fact, there is a species of rat, the African ( Cricetomys gambianus ), which can be trained to sift and locate anti-personnel mines.
Cows
Cows are the next animal, among those that possess a highly developed sense of smell, with 1186 ofactive genes. To the point that they can identify smells that are more than 10 kilometers away. This is a very useful ability for a herbivorous animal, which needs to locate its predators when they are still far away.
Nowadays, after a domestication that began about 10,000 years ago, starting with the wild auroch ( Bos primigenius ), cows are protected from humans. however, in the past they needed to use these kinds of strategies to avoid predators.
Horses
Just like cows, horses also need a good sense of smell, because they are predatory animals. These equines have 1066 olfactory genes.
This sense also allows them to find water when it is not present on the surface. This is a very useful skill for desert-dwelling horses, as they need large amounts of water to survive.
In addition, these animals use their sense of smell to find new friends and identify mares in heat, through urine or dung.
Dogs
We have heard so much about dogs’ sense of smell that we would have expected to find these animals at the top of the list. However, dogs only have 811 olfactory genes. They may seem few when compared to those of an elephant, but they are twice as many as humans, who have only 396.
The peculiarity of dogs is that, although they have fewer genes, their olfactory receptors are particularly sensitive. For this reason they are able to distinguish odors with such precision that they can detect cancer in its early stage.
Guinea pig or domestic guinea pig
Guinea pigs are well known rodents as pets, but also as guinea pigs used in the laboratory. They come from Peru, a country in which they are also part of the local gastronomy.
They have 796 olfactory genes and use the sense of smell to recognize each other. For this reason, if you have a guinea pig as a pet, it is important that you do not use soap before touching it, as it will not be able to distinguish your natural smell.
Other animals with a highly developed sense of smell
Finally, we offer you a list that includes other animals with a highly developed sense of smell, in descending order:
- Chinese soft-shelled turtle.
- Western clawed frog.
- Human being.
- Chimpanzee.
- Titi monkey.
- Rabbit.
- Orangutan.
