When it comes to our sense of smell, we humans love a good scent. Whether a lovely ripe peach or a freshly brewed cup of coffee, we enjoy and are drawn to scents that please us. We might even joke that just the smell of that annual Thanksgiving turkey can make our stomach growl. But when it comes to how strong our sense of smell is, we are lightweights in the animal kingdom.
Pack This Fact In Your Trunk
Our animal friends rely on their five senses on a daily basis just like us. But their sense of smell Ieaves ours in the dust! Wondering who has the greatest sniffer around? Look no further than the African elephant. The is fabulous pachyderm has the largest number of genes (roughly 2,000) associated with the sense of smell - about five times as many as humans and twice as many as dogs.
Dogs & Cats Have Humans Beat
And although our canine friends rely a great deal on their ability to catch a scent and have more scent receptors on the whole than humans - as anyone who has walked a dog could guess - cats actually have a more sensitively tuned sense of smell. Felines have the ability to distinguish between very similar aromas much more than dogs.
Other Strong Sniffers
Some other animals ranking high in olfactory prowess may surprise you!
- Snakes have poor eyesight and limited hearing so they make up for it with the ability to catch scents in not only their nose but also their mouth and forked tongue.
- Male silk moths don't have a nose but instead detect odors with their antennae.
- Turkey vultures can sniff out dead animals from more than a mile away.
- Sharks can detect a single drop of blood floating in 10 billion drops of water.
- Silvertip Grizzlies have a sense of smell that’s stronger than the bloodhound. The smell receptors in a grizzly’s nose are a hundred times bigger than we humans.
So although we may not be able to win a "sniff-off" if we went nose to nose with some of these scent champions, we luckily can still enjoy the smell of fresh rain in the air, a bush of blooming peonies, or a softly crackling bonfire. Whatever your favorite scent, Urban Wick Candle Bar has you covered. With over 80 premium fragrance oils to choose from, you can create a custom blend that is perfect for scenting your next candle pour!
https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/which-animals-have-the-strongest-sense-of-smell.html
