\he skull tells us that the ferret is a consummate meat eater: the teeth
have moved forward and changed into a sawtooth pattern, and are not those
of an omnivore like a dog, but those of an animal who evolved into a
flesh-rending machine=97a true land shark.  The large cranial cavity
tells us the ferret has a large brain-to-body-mass ratio, an indication
of intelligence.  The convolutions tell us the ferret has a complex
brain, yet another indication of intelligence.  The large region that
houses the olfactory bulb (and associated structures) tells us the
ferret's brain is specially adapted to sense odors, an indication of the
importance of smell.  The large cribriform plate of the ethmoid tells us
the ferret has a tremendous number of olfactory nerves passing from the
interior of the nasal cavity to the cranial cavity, another indication of
the importance of smell.  The complex, labyrinthine nasal turbinates
packed into an inflated, rounded nasal cavity tells us the ferret has an
enhanced sense of smell, tremendous evidence for the importance of odor
to the ferret.  The large, inflated auditory bulla tells us the ferret
has sound-sensitive ears.  Overall, this is the skull of an animal that
has a good memory, great intelligence, uses sounds to detect prey, homes
in on them using odor like a flashlight, overpowers them with massive
neck and shoulder muscles, kills them with long canines powered by
impressive jaw muscles, then renders them into small pieces with a
saw-toothed jaw.  It is elegant and impressive, and, I, for one, am
really glad polecats do not grow to the size of wolves.
 
The point of showing the photo of the skull was to emphasize the
importance of the sense of smell to the ferret.  At least a third of the
volume of the skull is dedicated to the sense of smell (the nasal cavity
and the olfactory region of the cranial cavity).  A good portion of the
brain is likewise dedicated to the sense of smell.  There is NO doubt
that ferrets place high importance to the sense of smell, and that makes
odor an important tool in ANY enrichment program.
 
Bob C
[Posted in FML issue 4233]