Fun Facts About Animal Noses

An animal's nose is one of its most incredible tools, used for much more than just breathing. From navigating the world to identifying friends, the nose knows a lot! Here are some fun facts about the amazing noses of our furry friends.

1. A Dog's Nose Print is Unique

Just like a human fingerprint, every dog's nose print is unique. The pattern of ridges and creases on a dog's nose is a one-of-a-kind identifier. Some kennel clubs and registries have even used nose prints for identification purposes!

2. Why Are Dog Noses Wet?

A dog's wet nose helps it smell better! The thin layer of mucus on the nose traps scent particles, which are then transferred to the olfactory glands inside. A dog will also often lick its nose, passing those scent particles to the roof of its mouth, where a secondary olfactory organ (the Jacobson's organ) further analyzes the smell.

3. Cats Have a "Second Nose"

Cats also have that secondary scent organ on the roof of their mouth, called the Jacobson's or vomeronasal organ. When a cat exhibits the "flehmen response"—curling back its upper lip and appearing to sneer—it's not being Elvis. It's opening up a passage to this second nose to get a deeper analysis of a particularly interesting scent.

4. Dogs Can "Smell" Time

This isn't as mystical as it sounds. Dogs have such a sensitive sense of smell that they can detect the passage of time through the dissipation of scents. For example, they can smell how long ago you left the house by how much your scent has faded. This is how many dogs seem to "know" when it's time for their owner to come home from work.

5. Some Animals "See" with Their Noses

The star-nosed mole has one of the most unique noses in the animal kingdom. It has 22 fleshy, pink tentacles at the end of its snout, which are covered in thousands of sensory receptors. Living underground in total darkness, the mole uses this star to create a 3D "touch map" of its environment, essentially "seeing" the world with its nose at incredible speed.

6. A Cat's Nose Can Predict the Weather... Sort Of

This is more of an old wives' tale, but it has a basis in observation. A cat's nose is highly sensitive to changes in temperature and humidity. A very wet nose might just mean higher humidity in the air. While it's not a reliable forecast, it shows just how attuned they are to their environment.