by Playfuls Staff |
21st December 2006
A U.S. biologist says the popular theory that mammals cannot smell anything under water is not true.
Vanderbilt [more] University Assistant Professor Kenneth Catania says he's discovered some stealthy mammals have been routinely using their olfactory sense under water.
Catania said he became curious when he saw a mole he was studying blow a lot of bubbles while swimming.
"This came as a total surprise because the common wisdom is that mammals can't smell underwater," said Catania.
He devised a series of experiments to determine whether the star-nosed mole and another small, semi-aquatic mammal -- the water shrew -- can smell objects under water. He determined they indeed can.
"Because the olfactory nerves in the nose are covered with mucous, odorant molecules are all water soluble," Catania said. "So, when these bubbles come into contact with an object, it is almost inevitable that odorant molecules will mix with the air and be drawn into the nose when the bubble is inhaled."
The complex study is detailed in the Dec. 21 issue of the journal Science.
© 2006 UPI
