The Nose Knows!!- Article by Gareth Jones

The Nose Knows: The Language Of Smell

I find it incredible to note how many wonderful creatures have a very powerful sense of smell. As many of us are aware, in the wild, all the senses are important in order to survive. While a combination of hearing, sight and smell is important to maximize possible survival, some creatures have a phenomenal sense of smell, way beyond the very limited human sense of smell. For these creatures being able to smell is not limited to just an odour, their methods of smelling do vary, and can be complex. From a human perspective, it is difficult to imagine that a sense of smell can be an entire language. A language that can identify many things, almost like being able to understand the wildlife “social media” with your nose. I guess it’s a real case of the nose knows. What is the wildlife “social media”? Well many creatures mark their territories and in the process also leave vital information regarding their current status, for example hyenas secrete a buttery paste from a gland between their legs onto stems of grass, sticks and leaves. This paste indicates their health, sexual maturity, gender, and when they were there. So other hyenas are easily able to understand this “language of smell” where the nose knows.

In August 2007, I drove along the road that goes along a stream towards no 4 junction, as I rounded a corner, suddenly there was a strikingly majestic lion standing right next to the road. He stood towering over his “honeymoon” lioness, and then flared his fangs in a grimace as he smelled the air. This action is scientifically known as the ‘flehmen response’, this is because lions have a special sensor called the Jacobson’s organ. This organ is effectively an olfactory mechanism for identifying the reproductive state of lionesses based on the pheromones in the female’s genitals or urine. Lions seemingly “smell the air” as they detect heavy moist particles in the air and then make a decision regarding a particular lioness. Well, this majestic lion decided that his Queen was ready for him to ensure the future of his bloodline. I watched as they repeatedly coupled approximately every 15 minutes, to this day I am not sure what cubs came from this lion romance. However, I did note that this lion was the prime King of the Central and Northern areas of the park. As humans, we like to give names to lions, this majestic lion was known as Ujanja.

Another example is the Nile monitor, they feed on fish, snails, frogs, crocodile eggs and young snakes, birds, small mammals, large insects, and carrion. To me, their most fascinating and amazing feature is their extra sense of smell. To do this, they use their long forked tongue, and the reason it flickers in and out is, so that the Lizard can “smell” the air. Monitor lizards, like snakes, have a pair of sensory organs located above the roof of the mouth called the Jacobson’s organs. The organs are used to detect scent particles within the air. These lizards continuously flick their forked tongues to collect these particles and to ‘taste’ the air; this extra sense is used mainly for hunting, as monitor lizards are very active predators and are almost constantly foraging around for food. During the breeding season, it is also used to help these usually solitary reptiles find a mate; the male will use his tongue to follow the scent of a female.

Unbeknown to many people, elephants have been observed to have the most powerful sense of smell. Elephants have a keen sense of smell, detecting water sources up to 19.2 km (12 mi.) away. Nostrils are located at the tip of the trunk and function in breathing, smelling, and drawing water in to squirt into the mouth. The elephants’ sense of smell is in constant use, with the trunks moving back and forth, detecting new scents and information. Once a scent is drawn in through the nostrils, there is a series of seven olfactory turbinals, located in the nasal cavity. Turbinals are curls of bone that have millions of olfactory receptor cells associated with them. If smelling does not provide enough information, elephants may collect the substance with the trunk. Then the chemical information is passed on to its Jacobson’s organ, a chemical detection unit located in the soft tissue of the upper palate (roof of the mouth). The organ is attached to the oral/nasal cavities and primarily functions to detect the oestrus (reproductive) status of a female. This behaviour is known as the ‘flehmen response’ and is characterized by the elephant curling its trunk into its mouth.

So, next time you venture into the wild, consider how very limited us humans are when it comes to our sense of smell. While many wild creatures continue to have an amazing sense of smell, such that their sense of smell is so sophisticated that they could almost write an essay with their interpretation of something special that they smelt. No doubt, there are many creatures with an incredible sense of smell that are not mentioned in this article. Such powerful smell techniques are literally a mystery “language of smell” that only the nose knows!