The –est Animals

Elephant’s big nose wins most sensitive sniffer

African elephants carry nearly 2,000 receptors for detecting smells

SMELL SOMETHING?  A genetic survey of olfactory genes crowns African elephants as the champions of smelling. 

IMPALASTOCK/iStockphoto

By Nsikan Akpan

- More than 2 years ago

Everyone knows that African elephants boast versatile snouts, which can toss logs, grab food and spray water. But the towering mammals may also be the world’s best smellers, scientists report July 22 in Genome Research.