Why do dogs need their nail trimmed by wolves do not?
Domestic dogs don't often war down their nails naturally as much as weird animals do. They walk off soft surfaces like carpets and grass. Wild animals like wolves, traverse on rough surfaces like rocks, dirt, and tree bark, which naturally help to war down and trim nails.
Wolves also travel significantly larger distances than domestic dogs.
By traveling longer distances on rougher terrains, wolves naturally grind down their nails and eliminate the need for trimming. Our domesticated dogs, especially those with plushy carefree apartment lives don't get the opportunity to trim their nails naturally and as a result require regular nail care. If left untrimmed, dog nails can grow too long, resulting in improper foot posture and making it uncomfortable for them to walk.
Why do dogs have better night vision than humans? Dogs have better night vision than humans due to certain anatomical features in their eyes that are specialized for low-light conditions.
Tapetum Lucidum: This is a layer of tissue found in the eyes of many animals, including dogs but not humans. It reflects light back through the retina, essentially giving the light receptors in the eye a second chance to capture the light and improve vision in low-light conditions. This is what gives dogs' eyes a glowing appearance in photos taken with a flash.
More Rods: Dogs have more rod cells, which are light-sensing cells in the retina. Rod cells function better than cone cells (which are more prevalent in human eyes and better for daylight vision) in low-light conditions.
Pupils: Dogs have larger pupils than humans, which allows more light to enter the eye.
Wide Field of View: Dogs' eyes are positioned on the sides of their heads, giving them a larger field of view, which can be beneficial in low-light conditions.
These adaptations help dogs see better in the dark, a trait that would have been beneficial for their ancestors in terms of hunting and avoiding predators during dawn, dusk, and nighttime.
Why do dogs sniff other dogs' butts?
Dogs sniff other dogs' butts as a form of communication. Their excellent sense of smell actually enhances this process.
The anal glands of dogs secrete unique scents that serve as identification information. Smell of a dogs' butt will provide information about their gender, diet, reproductive status, health, and more. When a dog sniffs another dog's rear, it's like humans shaking hands and introducing themselves.
Their superior smelling capability (they have around 300 million olfactory receptors in their noses, compared to about 6 million in humans) allows them to pick up this complex array of information in a way that humans cannot comprehend.
This behavior is a critical part of dog-to-dog communication. It's their way of learning more about each other and their environment.
Why do dogs smell other dogs' poop? That's so gross.
Like mentioned above, dogs have a much stronger sense of smell than we do, but they also think about smells differently.
To dogs, smells tell a story. They can learn a lot about other animals and their surroundings from smells, including smells that humans find gross, like poop. To a dog, the smell of another dog's poop might give them information about what that dog ate recently, whether the dog is healthy, and other details.
Dogs use their sense of smell to understand the world much more than humans do. What might seem gross to us could be interesting or important to a dog! But it's still gross.
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