Journey In The Ferret, Part 2

A brief review of Part 1 spoke to the reception of odor messengers
wafted on the air currents and that these odor messengers are actually
tiny pieces of what is being smelled. The tiny pieces are all different
sizes, some of which are 10 microns, some larger, and some smaller.

Aerosol particles that are carried on droplets of moisture 10 microns
and smaller frequently are not intercepted by the mucous membranes that
line the smelling cavities in the ferret's head, but do find their way
into the deep recesses of the lungs. If these microns sized particles
are undesirable microbes or viruses they may cause serious health
problems in the ferret. Here, I think of the coronavirus that has been
linked to respiratory distress in the ferret, not unlike what we may
assume is a common cold.

If you have seen a thirsty ferret seeking water, you will note that
his water seeking action is quite similar to the grizzly bear and how
the grizzly scents the air with both his nose and his open muzzle, his
wetted mouth. Watching the ferret sniffing for water reminds me of my
time as guided missile operator/technician in the US Navy during the
Korean Peace Keeping Operation.

The parallel between a water seeking ferret and a beam rider guided
missile is that the cone of intelligence being diffused by the bowl
of water, say way across the room is at the longer ranges, quite wide.
As the cone in traveled toward its source it becomes narrower and is
of stronger signal strength and reduced in azimuth so that both the
ferret and the beam rider missile correct themselves and increase their
accuracy. The ferret homing in more accurately on the bowl of water and
the beam rider missile looking to kiss a Mig right up his tail pipe.

Comparing the grizzly and the ferret, both sniff not only with their
noses but also with opened mouths. This is a little difficult to see in
the ferret but is quite evident in the bear, since the saliva produced
by a hungry bear about to sniff, snatch, and scoot with his prey is
copious and gives the bear a slovenly appearance.

Part 3 will continue in the area of olefactory information and will
delve a little deeper into the nerve complex that we recognize as,
our smell, as does the ferret.

Please feel free to comment and to add your bits of knowledge to this
Journey In The Ferret..

So until we meet again, Auf Wiedersehen Frettchenvolk.
(German:  See you again, ferret people)

[Posted in FML 6230]