Smelling Senses- Did You Know?

Did you know it is believed that jaguars have a more acute sense of smell than the other American cats? Humans have about 5 million olfactory receptors, which are microscopic proteins that allow odors to be detected. Jaguars, like all cats, have between 45 million and 80 million olfactory receptors, giving them a much better sense of smell than humans. Dogs have between 149 million and 400 million olfactory receptors, which makes it no surprise that dogs are used to help search for jaguars and other cats for research in the wild. Jaguars use their strong sense of smell, eyesight and sense of hearing to help them search for prey, know when other jaguars are around in the area, and to patrol and protect their territory.

Celebrate World Jaguar Day on April 10th!