How much do pets know about their sense of smell?
Official website 2024-03-13 17:37:50
How much do pets know about their sense of smell?
Humans only have 5 million olfactory cells, and compared to pets, humans have the fewest olfactory cells, making their sense of smell less sensitive. Therefore, things that humans perceive as odorless may be very pungent for pets. It is recommended that people with cats and dogs at home avoid using household items that have a fragrant or pungent odor as much as possible to avoid the odor being too irritating and damaging their sense of smell. Below is a science popularization on the olfactory function of dogs and cats.
1、 Dog Chapter
Dogs have 150-220 million olfactory cells, which can easily distinguish over 2 million different odors, and their sensitivity is 10 million times higher than that of humans. In fact, from the basic structure of the olfactory system alone, the olfactory systems of humans and dogs are similar, both starting from a layer of tissue called the "olfactory epithelium" in the nasal cavity. According to scientific identification, the total area of human olfactory epithelium is approximately 10 square centimeters, while the total area of dog olfactory epithelium is a whopping 170 square centimeters, and its cell density is 100 times higher than that of humans. This is also why a dog's nose needs to be so sensitive.
A sensitive sense of smell plays an important role, for example, in the wild, dogs rely on their sense of smell to search for food. They can smell the scent of prey, such as small animals, insects, and plants, to meet their food needs; Dogs are the representative of hunting dogs, as they track their prey with excellent olfactory abilities. During hunting, dogs can smell the scent of prey and then track the scent path to find the location of the prey; Dogs can sense potential danger through their sense of smell. They can smell the scent of other animals or humans, thus detecting potential threats in advance and keeping themselves alert or avoiding dangerous areas.
The most important function for humans is search and rescue, and dogs play an important role in search and rescue tasks. They can use their sense of smell to find missing people or people buried in ruins, and even detect diseases or bombs.
2、 Cat Chapter
Cats have 240 million olfactory cells. The nose is an important sensory organ for cats. Some people say that cats have a sensitivity to smell that is over 200000 times higher than humans because there are approximately 99 million nerve endings in the nasal mucosa of cats. Compared to vision, cats rely more on their sense of smell to judge various things.
Cats are particularly sensitive to the odor of nitrogen-containing compounds in their noses, so food that has been stored for too long or spoiled cannot arouse their appetite. A cat's nose is not only sensitive to smell, but also to temperature. It is the most sensitive part of a cat's body to temperature changes. Therefore, cats test the temperature of food by their nose, not their tongue; Even searching for a cool and comfortable place to rest relies on the nose.
When a cat smells something special or stimulating, it will raise its head and have a special expression of curled lips, wrinkled nose, and open mouth. It is to allow certain odors to enter the mouth and come into contact with the nasolabial organ in the upper jaw. It has the functions of smell and taste, allowing cats to distinguish these odors.