Elephants have a greater smell 5 times than ours

By Le Nouvel Observateur with AFP | Le Nouvel Observateur -

Elephant nose is not only very large, but also the most powerful in the animal kingdom, according to a survey of Japanese researchers.

African elephant genome and contains a large number of genes related to olfactory receptors (circa 2000), study says published Tuesday, July 22 in the journal "Genome Research".

This means that the elephant has a smell to five times that of a man, twice better than the dog, and even elephants fighting in a field in the previous record holder in the reign of the beast, it was a rat.

"It appears that the elephant nose is not only long, but also very powerful," says the lead author of the study, Yoshihito Niimura, Tokyo University.

The smell can no longer survive

However, they do not know how these olfactory genes work, but certainly allows the elephants through the centuries to survive. In fact, the ability to feel, see, partners and avoid predators animals food.

In this study, the scientists compared the olfactory organs of the other 13 animals, elephants, horses, rabbits, guinea pigs, cows or chimpanzees.

Primates, and humans are the ones with the lowest number of genes related to smell, the study found. "This may be a result of the fact that to be less odor based, our vision has grown," says Yoshihito Niimura.

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Elephants have a greater smell 5 times than ours