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A snout is the protruding portion of an animal's face, consisting of its nose, mouth, and jaw. The snout is also often called a muzzle. A piece of equipment also called a muzzle can be placed over the snout to prevent the animal from biting or eating, often used before and after horse races (see animal muzzle).
A wet snout nose is called a rhinarium.
Dog's muzzle
Dogs' muzzles range in shape from extremely long and thin (dolichocephalic), as in the Rough Collie to nearly nonexistent because it is so flat (extreme brachycephalic), as in the Pug. Some breeds, such as many sled dogs and Spitz types, have muzzles that somewhat resemble the original wolf's in size and shape, and others in the less extreme range have shortened it somewhat (mesocephalic) as in many hounds.
 Dolichocephalic Afghan Hound |
 Mesocephalic American Cocker Spaniel |
The muzzle begins at the stop, just below the eyes, and contains the dog's nose and mouth. Most of the dog's upper muzzle contains organs for detecting scents. The loose flaps of skin on the sides of the upper muzzle that hang to different lengths over the dog's mouth are called flews. The snout is considered a weak point on most animals, because of its structure an animal can be easily stunned or even knocked out by applying sufficient force.
It is innervated by one of the twelve pairs of cranial nerves. These nerves start in the brain and emerge through the skull to their target organs. Other destinations of these nerves are eyeballs, teeth and tongue.
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- This page was last modified on 6 October 2008, at 06:51.
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