Column: Olfactory Superpowers

DAILY BULLDOG • September 28, 2026

Black bears have an olfactory bulb that is five times larger than that in the human brain and possess 100 times more sensory tissue lining their nasal cavity – both of which account for why a black bear’s nose is some 2,000 times more powerful than our own. Coyotes, foxes, and other canids also have an exceptional sense of smell, possessing more than 50 times the number of olfactory receptors as humans. Canids can also direct their nostrils independently in order to detect smells coming from different directions. If you asked a snake to describe how it senses odor, its response would be literally tongue-in-cheek. Birds also rely on their olfactory sense in everyday life. While we primarily take in the landscape with our eyes and ears, many other animals absorb the world through their sense of smell. ~ Michael J. Caduto