When we catch a whiff of a foul smell, it’s hard to hide the grimace that forms on our faces. Those around us can easily tell that we’ve encountered an unpleasant odor. In a recent TikTok video shared by the Lion Habitat Ranch in Las Vegas, one of their lions dropped an Emu egg and reacted with a clear expression of disgust.
Fans of the channel were curious about why the lions made a stink face after eating the “stinky” egg. Surprisingly, the staff revealed that lions don’t actually make a stinky face because something smells bad. Instead, they make that expression to help them identify the scent.
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The Flehmen response, also known as the stink face, is a common occurrence in the animal kingdom. It is characterized by the scrunching of the animal’s nose and the baring of its teeth. If this expression could be translated into words, it would likely convey a sense of surprise and curiosity, as if to say, “OMG, what is that smell?”
When an animal makes a stinky face, it is trying to better understand an intriguing smell. By making this face, which exposes the Jacobson’s organ, the animal also inhales to bring the smell closer to its sensory organ.
While the Flehmen response is most commonly observed in mammals, it is interesting to note that some snakes and lizards also possess a Jacobson’s organ, although they do not display this behavior. As for humans, although we do have a Jacobson’s organ, current studies suggest that it is primarily vestigial and non-functioning. If you have ever found yourself sitting next to someone emitting an unpleasant odor, chances are you probably had a reflexive Flehmen response. Unlike lions, however, humans tend to instinctively avoid foul odors rather than trying to understand them.
