The Nose Knows

‘Conservation Dogs’ Are Sniffing Out Species Humans Can’t See

Biologists can’t spot them. Technology doesn’t detect them. But nothing escapes The Nose.

By: Michele C. Hollow

May 4, 2021

Dogs have an olfactory lobe that is about 40 times larger than the human equivalent, and at least 800 million smell receptors in their nasal cavity, compared to 12 million in humans. “They also have a ‘nose within a nose’ called a vomeronasal organ located within the nasal cavity just above the hard palate of the mouth,” says Dodman. He ticks off a list of things dogs can detect via scent: certain types of cancers, low blood sugar in insulin-treated diabetics, impending seizures, malaria, even Covid-19. “So can a dog detect a sought-after plant or other species? Of course they can.”

 source