Some animals really stink! However, the smells do have a purpose. A stinky smell can make an animal more attractive to its mate, or it may keep predators at a safe distance.
MOONRATS live in the rainforests and mangrove swamps of Sumatra, Borneo and the Malay Peninsula. They mark their den with a liquid that smells like rotting onions or garlic. The smell warns other moonrats and predators to stay away from their territory.
POLECATS live in woodland areas of Europe, Asia and North Africa. They mark their territories with a foul-smelling liquid, made in glands at the base of the tail. People once used the word ‘polecat’ to describe someone with a character as foul as the polecat’s smell.
The MUSK OX lives in cold regions, in Greenland and northern Canada. Males, called bulls, produce a strong-smelling liquid in glands just under their eyes. To release the smell, the bull rubs its face on trees and bushes. The smell attracts females, who can detect it from a long way off.
FOUL FACT! In the early 1990s, musk oxen were hunted nearly to extinction for their meat and hide. Now, however, they are protected by law.
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