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Corpse Flower It’s great to stop and smell the roses, but think twice before sticking your nose in the corpse flower. This tall plant blooms only every 7 to 12 years, and when it does … yuck! Those who’ve gotten a whiff say the smell is a combination of old cheese, rotting meat and even poop. Believe it or not, the unpleasant odour serves a purpose. The plant releases the smell to attract insects! Dung beetles and flies like to lay their eggs on rotten meat. Since the corpse flower has a similar scent, the bugs fly right onto the plant, where they end up covered in pollen. They then carry that pollen to another corpse flower, fertilizing it. Thanks, bugs!

By Melissa Owens

Skunk The skunk is famous for its stinky spray, but it won’t use it on enemies right away. First, the skunk will stomp its front feet, lift its tail, growl and do a handstand to scare the intruder away. If that doesn’t work, watch out! The furry creature will shoot out a smelly liquid, called musk, from two glands under its tail. The critter can even spray up to 3 m (10 ft.) away, about the length of a small car. The skunk aims for its enemy’s eyes so it can make a quick escape. The spray doesn’t hurt, but the smell can last for days. Yuck!

Gross!

Stink Bug This stinker may be tiny, but its smell is mighty! Its hard body acts like a shield of armour. But before enemies like bats get too close, the stink bug sprays a smelly liquid to try to scare them off. If a predator still goes for it, it quickly learns that this bug tastes just as bad as it smells. Blech!

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Smell you later...

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Wait! Don’t toss your magazine. We’re uncovering the stinkiest

things on the planet and finding out why they smell! Read on to get a whiff of the foulest

stuff out there.

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The Toronto Zoo’s corpse flower, called Pablo

“Pe-ew” Caso, bloomed in 2018!

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Wolverine If you want to remember something, you write yourself a note. But not the wolverine! This member of the weasel family, also known as the skunk bear, uses its foul-smelling pee or its musk to remember where it hides its food. The critter sprays and buries its meal, and then follows the stinky scent when it gets hungry later. Not only is this a great reminder, but the smell also keeps other animals away from the wolverine’s food. Dinner for one, please!

• The first sense we use when we are born is our sense of smell!

• Your nose has millions of sensors that detect tiny groups of atoms, called molecules (MOL-uh-kyool), in the air.

• When we breathe in, these molecules hit the sensors, which are connected to a special part in our brain called the olfactory bulb. The bulb tells the brain what things smell like.

Durian Fruit Some people say this fruit smells like dirty socks! But don’t plug your nose just yet, because many fruit fans think durian tastes great. Restaurants even serve durian-flavoured milkshakes! No wonder it’s called the King of Fruits. If you come across a durian, ask a grown-up to open the fruit’s shell because it’s covered in sharp spikes. Handle —and smell—with care. Yum!

So that's what the stink is about?

Get to Know Your Nose Sniff out the truth about your smeller!

SwampYou could probably smell a swamp a mile away! But the stink of these wetlands is actually important to our environment. Wetlands are like recycling stations that turn dead plants and animal waste into food and energy for the Earth. Bacteria in the swamps break down the waste and create nutrients for the soil below. While this is happening, gases are released into the air, which is what causes the stench! So the next time you’re near a smelly swamp, remember that the odour is just Mother Nature doing an important job.

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• Smell and taste are connected. That’s why it’s harder to taste your food with a stuffy nose.