Lemurs can use their sense of smell to locate fruit hidden more than 50 feet away in the forest but only when the wind blows the fruit’s aroma toward them, according to a new study.
“This is the first time research has demonstrated that primates can track a distant smell carried by the wind,” says anthropologist and lead study author Elena Cunningham, a clinical associate professor of molecular pathobiology at New York University’s College of Dentistry.
Many animals use their sense of smell to locate food. However, less is known about whether primates can smell far away food, or if they instead rely on visual cues or memory to find their next meal.
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VIDEO: A group of ring-tailed lemurs at the Lemur Conservation Foundation detect the smell of cantaloupe and track the aroma to the container of hidden cantaloupe. Two lemurs initially turn to. view more
Credit: Laura Stalter, Lemur Conservation Foundation
Lemurs can use their sense of smell to locate fruit hidden more than 50 feet away in the forest but only when the wind blows the fruit s aroma toward them, according to a study published in the
American Journal of Physical Anthropology. This is the first time research has demonstrated that primates can track a distant smell carried by the wind, said anthropologist Elena Cunningham, a clinical associate professor of molecular pathobiology at NYU College of Dentistry and the study s lead author.