If you didn’t already know that dogs have incredible noses, scroll down to watch the full video of this impressive Pit Bull sniff out a snake den. The snakes are not exactly pleased about it though!
Sniffing Out Snakes
This Pit Bull knows exactly what it is doing. It has sniffed out a snake den and is letting its human handlers know exactly where it is. The dog is having a go at digging but it takes some humans with some shovels and spades to get down to the snakes.
Dogs have assisted humans with hunting for thousands of years. We have bred them to develop their tracking abilities and their willingness to pursue the prey no matter what it takes. You can see how desperate this dog is to get at the reptiles – that is a very strong prey drive!
The term ‘Pit Bull’ describes a group of dogs rather than one single breed. They are descended from bulldogs and terriers and are known for their loyalty, and protectiveness. They were originally bred to pull down large animals such as bulls (hence the name) but also bears! Terriers are well known for their abilities to hunt down vermin. However, dogs are not really known for their ability (or desire) to hunt snakes!
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Dogs and Their Sense of Smell
Dogs have an amazing sense of smell! When they lived in the wild, it was vital for their survival. When you are a dog, what you can smell is just as important as what you can see. Their nasal cavity has more than 100 million sensory receptor sites compare to the six million that we have. Also, the area of their brain devoted to analyzing odors is 40 times larger in dogs compared to humans. Put all of this together, and experts think that dogs can smell anywhere up to 10,000 times better than people!
Dogs also have this amazing ability to breathe in and out at the same time! This creates a continuous circulation of air, giving them an even better chance of picking up scents. Our canine friends are able to build a three dimensional odor profile so they are very good at pin-pointing the location of the scent. Dogs just need their humans to come along with the shovels!
The post Watch This Pit Bull Use Its Powerful Nose to Sniff Out a Snake’s Den appeared first on AZ Animals.
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