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Happy Nose: sense of smell helps penguins find family

Penguins may use smell to determine if they are related to a potential mate.

Despite the large size of penguin communities - often made up of thousands of birds - mates are still able to find one another even if one has been travelling for days foraging for food.

“Smell is likely the primary mechanism for kin recognition to avoid inbreeding within the colony,” said lead author Heather Coffin.

Read more at University of Chicago

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