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Who wouldn’t want to be sniffed by the sweet Netherland Dwarf rabbit in this adorable post from rabbit_hoppe0507? The bunny’s nose is twitching away while it enjoys some gentle pets from its human. However, is it just a twitch, or is this bunny actually smelling something? Rabbits cannot breathe through their mouths, so sniffing fills their lungs with air. A rabbit’s sense of smell is also the primary means they use to investigate the world. So, what does this fluffy little detective want to know?
How Rabbits Use Their Sense of Smell
Rabbits are the prey of many different species, so they have evolved certain adaptations to help them stay alive. Rabbit kits can’t see or hear at birth, but they are born with a keen sense of smell. Their highly developed olfactory organs help them find food underground and smell predators from miles away.
Rabbits use scent to identify friends, search for potential mates, and recognize territorial boundaries. One study even found that rabbits can recognize the scent of other rabbits in predator feces, allowing them to avoid the areas that are the most dangerous.
A Specialized Sniffer
Considering how important their olfactory abilities are to their survival, it is no surprise that a rabbit’s sense of smell is about 20 times better than a human’s. Rabbits have around 100 million olfactory receptors compared to humans’ 5-6 million. The part of a rabbit’s brain used to process scents is also significantly larger than that of a human’s.
Rabbits have a specialized organ called the Jacobsen’s organ, or the vomeronasal organ. This organ is used to detect and process the pheromones they use to communicate. Additionally, rabbits’ nasal glands secrete fluid into the nasal cavities to trap foreign substances so the rabbit’s olfactory system can analyze them.
Why Do Rabbits Twitch Their Noses?
Like the bunny in the video above, rabbits frequently wiggle or twitch their noses. Scientists have found that healthy rabbits twitch their noses from 2-120 times per minute. This up and down movement is sometimes referred to as “nose blinking.” As they pull more air through their nasal passages, they take in more information about their environment. Twitching causes rabbits’ glands to secrete the mucus that traps pheromones identifying friend or foe.
Twitching may also be a way to help rabbits regulate their body temperatures. Adult rabbits normally breathe at a rate of 30-60 breaths a minute. However, during sniffing, their respiration rate can be as high as 480 breaths a minute. Researchers found that rabbits’ respiration rates quickly increased with rising environmental temperatures. This allowed the rabbit’s body temperature to remain relatively steady. When a rabbit wiggles its nose, their special nasal glands moisten the air they breathe in, which also helps with thermoregulation.
The little Netherland Dwarf bunny shown above is a pet, so it does not rely on its sense of smell in the same way wild rabbits do. However, rabbits predominantly interact with the world through scent. So experts believe a rabbit twitching its nose while being petted is most likely just a curious bunny sniffing for information.
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