Hoo knew? It turns out that owls can have bogies too

Owls don't have a great sense of smell, but like humans, they make nasal mucus. Here's why snot matters in the animal world. By Louise Gentle

- Louise Gentle

The quick answer is yes, but the interesting thing is why.

Bogies, or boogers as they are known in some countries, are made from nasal mucus you probably call this snot. Snot is produced by your nose and is really important as it helps to trap dirt, germs and other nasty things. This stops these nasty things from going into your body, causing damage and making you ill.

Snot also has antibodies in it - special white blood cells that help your body to fight infections. So, snot is super useful for protecting our bodies.

Snot is also vital to help us to smell things. The mucus traps tiny scent particles that are then transported to special smell receptors in the nose. They allow us to identify different odours like food, which is especially important to help wild animals survive.

Some animals have an amazing sense of smell, much better than ours. Elephants use theirs to sniff out food and water, detect predators and even recognise their family. But when animals have a cold, a lot more snot is produced, and this interrupts the ability to smell things properly.

Bogies are just dried snot that collects in the nostrils.

Which animals make snot?