Monday, June 16, 2008

Why Are Dogs Still Trying So Hard?

"Dogs have nearly 220 million smell-sensitive cells over an area about the size of a pocket handkerchief (compared to 5 million over an area the size of a postage stamp for humans)."

I think the one ding in the theory of evolution is that dogs still have such an acute sense of smell. I mean, has there been a more pampered species of animal over the last 200 or so years? The days of wild dogs roaming the planet, searching for food appears pretty much over, no? Now it's "okay doggie, you sit in my handbag while I pick out some raspberry bunny almond-flavored Kibbles & Bits for you." You'd think since they're not really needed as much anymore that, like the female clitoris, some of those smell-sensitive cells would've disappeared by now. Curious.

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