Do animals have bogies?

From salty sneezes to bird bogies, discover why snot is so important.

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Bogies – or boogers as they are known in some countries B— are made from dried nasal mucus. You probably call this slimy stuff “snot”. It is produced inside your nose and is really important as it helps to trap dirt, germs and other nasty things. This stops nasty stuff from going into your body, causing damage and making you ill. Snot also has antibodies in it, produced by white blood cells that help your body to fight infections. So, snot is super-useful for protecting your body.

Snot power

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

Some animals have an amazing sense of smell – much better than yours. Elephants, for example, sniff out food and water, detect predators and even recognise their family using their sense of smell. Like you, however, when animals have a cold, a lot more snot is produced and this interrupts their ability to smell things properly.

Which animals make snot?