Do rats smell better then dogs?
Dogs are traditionally renowned for their tracking and sniffing capacities. Can rats match their performance? In the wild, rats can communicate over large distances using olfactory cues. Observing the animal, one can notice its nose being constantly very active and moving. With its rather poor vision, the ‘Cricetomys’ depends largely on its’ sense of smell. One clear advantage of their small size compared to dogs, is that the rats’ nose is always close to the ground, even if its’ head is raised. The highest vapour concentration and the lowest wind speed are found close to the ground. Although trained on TNT, it is not clear which of the nitro aromatic compounds, or even mine casing materials or other cues, are more detected by the animals. Therefore, it is always necessary to re-calibrate the animals on the specific targets found in the demining operations.
