These findings are the result of joint research by scientists at Lund University in Sweden and scientists at ELTE University in Hungary, who formally worked together to discover this surprising new canine skill. Researchers at Lund University conducted a behavioral study in which three dogs were shown two objects, a neutral object at approximately ambient temperature and one with the surface temperature of a furry mammal. Through training, the dogs were then able to distinguish between the two objects at a distance of 1.6 meters (5.2 feet) based on radiant heat. Using magnetic resonance imaging, scientists at Roland University looked at how different areas of the dogs’ brains responded to thermal stimuli at temperatures roughly the same as in other experiments. The warmer object elicited a response in the left somatosensory association cortex (the part of the brain that processes sensory information), which the scientists concluded likely came from the nasal cavity (the moist, hairless skin around the nose). The scientists believe there is an evolutionary lesson to be learned here, which suggests that predators like wolves are such effective hunters because they seem to be able to spot prey from a distance.
