What a funny, stinky world it would be if we shared the characteristics of the species listed below. At least all humans would have something in common with them, right?
Image: picture alliance/blickwinkel/J. Fieber
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First on the list is the toad pictured above. Its length of between 6.5 and 8 centimetres and grey or brown colouring make it unremarkable. So much so, that it might go unseen by the human populations of countries from Central Europe to Western Asia to which it is native. Not noticing it could be pongy, because when this little fella gets stressed, it's time to take cover. Its name is garlic toad, which gives you an idea of its forté. When frightened, it makes a very loud call and exudes a noxious secretion that smells like – you guessed it, garlic.
The stink bug lives up to its name. And then some. Like the garlic toad it gets smelly when scared. Its odour is also reminiscent of a culinary ingredient – coriander. The pungent substance is secreted from pores in its chest. As an aside, it seems to be down to your human DNA whether or not you find the smell unpleasant. That said, in Laos these critters are widely eaten, and their strong scent is said to be what makes them taste so good. Yummy.
We leave the insect world for the third species on our smelly list. The wolverine doesn't match up to its comic book namesake. But although it has no metal implants in its skeleton, it is hairy. It lives in nothern Canada or Alaska, even in the boreal forests and the tundra in Russia and belongs to the weasel family though it looks like a little bear. That’s where it gets one of its nicknames: skunk bear. That and the fact that it has potent anal scent glands used for marking its territory (and sexual signaling of course). Enough on that for now.
Image: Imago/blickwinkel/M. Woike
Image: Imago
Image: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images
And last but not least... Skunks are mammals often found in the Americas. They are notorious for their anal scent glands, which they use in self-defense. Bad news is, they have two glands, one on each side of the anus, which produce a mixture of sulfur-content chemicals that give off a highly offensive smell. The odor is strong enough to ward off bears and it can be really difficult to remove from clothing.
While we are talking about animals, sniffing and stuff...
Pumping, snorkeling, talking - the amazing talents of animal noses
We humans use our noses to breathe and smell, and they're not that great for smelling. Other animals are much more advanced. Here are the 6 most splendid animal noses - and one poor devil.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/Wildlife
The nose of a chief
"Hey, I'm the boss here!" screams the colorful nose of the male Mandrill Ape - dominant males crow with brighter colors than those of inferiors. When a Mandrill gets mad or aroused, the blue parts on its nose glow even stronger. The red color stems from the Mandrill's high blood circulation, the blue results from the light breaking on its skin.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/S.Radke
The all-rounder nose
Elephants trumpet, smell, grab, fight and even snorkel with their nose. Strictly speaking the elephant's trunk is a fusion of nose and upper lip. It also serves for communication, for example, when flehmening. That's a way to pick up scent or pheromones, which is especially important during mating season for males. Not only can the elephant smell its adored female's odor, but it can also taste it.
The sea elephant got its name from its bulging nose, which may remind you of an elephant's trunk. It dangles down over the animal's muzzle. During mating season the male pumps up his mouth with blood and air and gives off a loud noise to chase away its rivals. But both males and females absorb moisture through their noses - especially when fasting during mating season.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/WILDLIFE
Nose vs. sting
One of the triggerfish's favorite dishes is sea urchins. So to ensure it doesn't get stung, the triggerfish developed a long "nose." To get to the soft and tasty interior of a sea urchin, the fish (the one in the photo is called Picasso) blows a strong jet of water on its prey, or clutches one sting with its mouth, and uses it to lift up the urchin and attack.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/H.Schmidbauer
The tube snout
What looks like a terribly long nose is actually the snout of the Giant Anteater. Its actual nose is at the very tip of it, and snoops in nooks and crannies for food - mostly ants and termites. When it finds a tasty morsel, the anteater stretches out a 90 centimeter-long (35 inches) gluing tongue and sticks its prey to it - 160 times per minute!
Image: Getty Images/F.Perry
The plug socket nose
The plug socket-like nose of a pig may look ugly to some, but it is very sensitive. It senses, feels, and smells scents up to 50 cm deep in the soil. Pigs have even more olfactory cells than the fine-nosed dog. That's why they are great truffle tracers. Sows are especially good at it - the smell of the precious mushrooms is very close to that of male pigs' pheromones.
Pug-nosed dogs are a human creation. They're nearly square in shape, and said to have been first reared in China centuries ago as an exclusive privilege of the emperor. Later it accompanied noble ladies in paintings. People have bred pug dogs for entertainment, but the dog suffers - its respiratory organs are highly contracted, giving it its characteristic panting and leading to illness.
