Researchers may have answered one of science's mysteries - why a dog's nose is cold. The scientists believe dogs' noses are cold because they act as "ultra-sensitive heat detectors". Dogs sense the temperature of things without touching them. They use their noses to detect temperature, such as when predators or prey are nearby. Humans only know something is hot through touch. It was believed that dogs' noses are cold to control their body temperature.
Researchers did experiments on dogs, which had to detect the temperature of different objects. Brain activity in the dogs showed that they knew which objects were warmer than others. A researcher said: "Dogs are able to sense the thermal radiation coming from warm bodies...and they can change their behaviour according to this." Scientists may now re-evaluate how animals hunt. Many animals may use heat-sensing abilities to hunt.