狗狗的鼻子爲什麼總是溼的？大綱
Why are dogs'noses so wet?
狗狗的鼻子爲什麼總是溼的？
Humans and dogs share a special relationship, moulded over millennia of reciprocal love and companionship.
數千年來，人類和狗狗都有十分特殊的關係，相互喜愛，相互陪伴。
Anyone who's ever had the fortune of sharing their life with a close canine companion can attest that, from poodles to Pomeranians, dogs truly are a wondrous species.
有幸擁有一隻狗狗作伴的人，都能證明這一點。無論是捲毛還是博美，狗狗確實是種超讚的物種。
But there's something else that dog lovers the world over know all too intimately – the feel of a dog's cool, wet nose brushing up against your cheek.
愛狗之人還有個場景再熟悉不過——狗狗愛用溼漉漉、冰涼涼的鼻子，在你的臉上蹭來蹭去。
Whether they're running to fetch a ball, or merely pinning you down while they're snoozing on the couch, dogs'noses seem to be perennially wet.
無論它們是跑去撿球，還是正在沙發打盹的它們，看到你過來立馬激動地把你撲倒，它們的鼻子總是溼溼的。
So what gives?
這帶給我們什麼信息呢？
To most dog owners, it's common knowledge that dogs don't sweat. Their lack of proper sweat glands, as humans and some other mammals have, is one of the main causes of the excessive panting that happens when your mastiff mate is out for a run. Put simply, panting is a method of regulating heat within the canine body.
大多數狗主人都知道狗狗不會排汗的常識。它們沒有人類和其他哺乳動物的汗腺，這也是爲什麼它們跑起來會不停喘氣。簡單說，喘氣是狗狗調節體溫的一種方式。
One other way which dogs keep cool though, is by excreting a substance similar to sweat on their extremities – namely, their nose and paws.
狗狗另一種降低體溫的方式，就是在手足部分（鼻子和爪子）分泌類似汗液的液體。
Ever wonder why they're a similar colour and texture? Boom. There's your answer. The moisture on their extremities helps to radiate heat away from your pawed pal, in a similar way to their panting.
好奇爲什麼這種液體跟汗液顏色和質感這麼相似嗎？我們來告訴你答案。它們手足分泌的液體幫助它們散熱，跟喘氣效果相同。
The moisture on a dog's nose helps serve a secondary purpose, too. Covering a canine nose is a thin layer of mucous, which helps to trap scents and other particles in the air.
狗狗鼻子上的溼氣還有另一個用途。它們鼻子上薄薄一層粘液，能幫助捕捉空氣中的氣味和微粒。
In order to sample this no-doubt delectable melange, a dog will then proceed to lick its nose – a behaviour dog lovers will no doubt have noticed when their precious pup picks up a scent. This serves to present the trapped particles to the olfactory glands on the roof of a dog's mouth, enabling the dog to further analyse the scent.
爲了檢驗這些味道，狗狗會去舔自己的鼻子。當心愛的狗狗嗅到氣味時，愛狗之人對它們以上的舉止一定不會陌生。這個舉止能讓把鼻子上收集到的顆粒送到口腔頂部的嗅腺，讓它們能進一步分析這種味道。
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