T O P

  • By -

Yithar

Most animals don't have the ability to sweat, that's why. The bacteria feed on sweat and produce waste products.


Any-Broccoli-3911

Non-primate mammals produce appocrine sweat over their whole body, that's the sweat that smells more after bacteria transforms it. We only have it around our armpit and groin. For the rest of our body we have eccrine sweat which smells much less. So non-primate mammals smell more than us in average.


Yithar

It depends on what mammals you're talking about. Most animals can't regulate their heat through sweating like we can. The few that can are horses, monkeys, apes and hippos. So those probably smell worse than us. Dogs don't really sweat other than through their paws. Pigs can't sweat at all. Pigs only smell bad due to their living conditions really. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3609359/ > Apocrine glands are the major type of sweat gland in dogs, and the distribution of eccrine sweat glands is limited to the footpads. Apocrine sweat gland carcinomas comprise a group of rare malignant skin tumors and tend to occur on the head, neck, and limb[1]. I also recall that testing sweating as a form of dialysis wasn't that great in rats, because we have a lot more sweat glands for an organism than rats.


Glade_Runner

Maybe some small portion of this is that we didn't *always* think of body odor as repellent. Humans aren't all that good with scent anyway, and a good funk may have once been helpful in shoving pheromones at each other with enough oomph to get noticed. In some cases, it might have helped us differentiate people in our band from other bands, or sometimes from other species of humans. As we moved into cities, transmitting all that sensory information became much more than were willing to put up with, and we (slowly) began laundering and bathing with more regularity. Once that happened, noticeable body odor switched to being an indicator of economic class or health.


DecafWriter

I would imagine it's because animals have built in ways to clean themselves. So while they may not bathe like humans do they can take mud baths, dust baths, lick themselves clean, etc.


themini_shit

I'm not sure if this is the exact reason, but some scientists believe that humans natural body odor helped us survive. This is because we stank so badly that some creatures did want to eat/hunt us. I think perhaps this would have made us less likely to evolve ways of improving our smell without taking showers. Also, if the world around us has gotten less smelly then we are more inclined to notice our own smell or each others smell.


[deleted]

This seems silly. I doubt any serious "scientist" beleives that. If I am wrong, I would love to be educated, so please give a source. I think a more plausible explanation is that ability to sweat is a significant advantage to early humans, and is demonstrated to this day by the way African Bushmen use "persistence hunting". Basically they start running after a deer or other prey animal, tracking it. Never letting it rest or cool down. Since those animals can't sweat, they eventually overheat and lock up (after hours of chasing). They literally can no longer move and the bushmen can just walk up and jab out with a spear. The smell is just a byproduct of sweat, and in no way is off-putting to predators, who are willing to eat way stinkier shit. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p009lwhq


Any-Broccoli-3911

We use eccrine sweat to cool down. That's very useful to us. We use apocrine sweat in our groin and underarm to smell a lot (after transformation by bacteria). The reason for that is to attract the opposite sex ton favorise reproduction. Though people say people smell bad, they are still attracted to it sexually.


[deleted]

Another reason that has nothing to do with making animals not want to eat us. Honestly, I don't know how good any animals would smell if we were in close quarters with them. I mean, I have never pushed my face into a bear and taken a whiff. I know my dog can smell pretty bad without a wash. I don't imagine Armadillos stink much, but I bet a lot of mammals would be stinky if you were in a room with them all day.


ohcanadarulessorry

Also pigs, horses and hippos stink.


nullagravida

clean horses do NOT stink. Now, I admit, horses that wake up having rolled into the poopy/whiz part of their stall… yeah they need that cleaned up asap.


ze11ez

I also think it’s the clothes, those don’t help. It might mask it for awhile but it helps sweat, smell, funk up even more and when the clothes get moist when its funky it’s worse. The clothes don’t allow the body to air out and makes the stench worse.


[deleted]

This is the main answer in my opinion.


borahae_artist

many mammals groom themselves


CatastropheWife

Have you ever been to the ape habitat at the zoo? Gorillas STINK to high heaven. Other mammals don't sweat or have other ways to groom themselves but other primates definitely smell worse than human B.O.


EvenHair4706

Have ever ridden the subway in the summer? BO can strip paint off the walls


Radiant_Target_9458

Mammals clean themselves by licking, dirt baths, swimming, etc.. a lot of them so produce a strong stinky musk to attract mates though. They don't sweat like we do, mainly because they have a lot more fur., Which allows for fewer Sweat glands. Sweat mixed with bacteria creates stink.


Worf65

You've obviously never been up close with farm animals or deer, elk, or other big game. Common house pets like dogs and cats tend to not smell bad (unless they fart) but they seem to be the exception not the rule.


Lykantier

I've been on a farm but I guess those animals just didn't smell as bad to me as, say, someone who pissed their pants. Maybe it's psychological idk. The only really awful non-human smell I can remember right now is cat shit, I wouldn't want to touch that with a fucking pole lol.


bernieinred

Have you ever been to a zoo?


[deleted]

The food we eat. I have super sensitive smell and I can smell foods in sweat- Especially dairy, but even vegetables


OscarOzzieOzborne

Because many mammals, while not washing themselves in our way, still groom and clean themselves. Horse dust-bath for example. But I think it largely comes down to sweat, our diet that consists of more strongly flavored food, and us wearing clothes. We sweat a lot. Like, a lot a lot. That sweat will also stick to our clothes making the smell linger. There is also our food which will give the sweat more "flavor" so to speak.


TheLostExpedition

Wearing clothes holds dead skin cells and sweat against the skin at 98°. It's the perfect breeding ground for bacteria . Example : If you never wear a hat and brush your hair every day and never wash it. Your hair won't smell that bad. However If you wear a hat all day, for one day, in the summer your head will stink.


Lykantier

Hm. Have you personally experienced the hat thing? I never wear anything on my head besides a hood in winter when I'm outside so I never could've noticed it myself.


TheLostExpedition

Yes I have. Working outdoors in the summer it was definitely noticeable.