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They go to work at airports and police departments every day.
Specially-trained “sniffer” dogs help authorities find drugs, bombs and human bodies. Dogs make excellent nose-detectives because their sense of smell is between 10,000 to 100,000 times more sensitive than humans, according to the American Kennel Club. There is even research that shows dogs can detect some types of cancer.
Now that doggie superpower is being put to a new use – finding the elusive platypus
The Guardian News reports that Australian wildlife experts are training dogs to find the platypus in the wild. The goal is to gather data on platypus without disturbing or even interacting with them. The dogs will catch the scent of a live platypus and its burrow, sit a distance away and simply point to their handler to get a reward.
The platypus is a semi-aquatic mammal. It has a bill that resembles a duck, an otter-like body and tail that looks like a beaver. Most unusual is that it is one of only a few mammals that lay eggs rather than birth live young.
Platypus populations are under threat due to habitat loss. Experts say there are about 50,000 in the wild.
If successful, the dog-sniffing platypus program will be another step towards making sure one of God’s unique creatures is around forever.
Now that’s using your nose!
Until next time,
Hugs and Pug Kisses,
Candy
Read the full Guardian story and more about the platypus on the links below:
Platypus – The Australian Museum
‘We’ve never seen a platypus lay an egg’: sniffer dogs to aid researchers by detecting occupied burrows | Australia news | The Guardian
Platypus Facts (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) (thoughtco.com)
Photo by David Clode on Unsplash
Photo by Mitchell Orr on Unsplash
Photo by Birmingham Museums Trust on Unsplash
