An Englishman鈥檚 pet beagle named Crystal appears to have the strange ability to sniff out and unearth prehistoric bones buried in the ground.
鈥淵ou got other minerals [in the bones] which have different smells which we might not be able to smell but beagles like Crystal would be able to,鈥� Crystal鈥檚 owner and paleontologist Jamie Jordan told 麻豆影视 Channel.
Over the past several years, the beagle has been able to sniff out a handful of ancient animal bones. In 2016, she sniffed out the leg bone of a woolly rhino that died more than 200,000 years ago.
鈥淪he鈥檚 found quite a few ice age bones from woolly rhinoceros to buffalos and even fragments of [a] woolly mammoth,鈥� Jordan said, adding Crystal has also found prehistoric sea urchins, squids and ammonites -- also known as marine mollusks.
Most pet owners swear their dogs take after them but in this case, Crystal appears to be a fellow paleontologist.
Since becoming her owner, Jordan said he鈥檚 been training Crystal to sniff out the organic material left inside of some prehistoric bones which can give off a 鈥渘oxious smell.鈥� For other fossils, Jordan said Crystal has learned how to sniff out the minerals in some bones that can give off a sulphur-like smell.
鈥淚鈥檝e always had a fascination with fossils since the age of four,鈥� he said, explaining that he was inspired to train Crystal after learning about English paleontologist Mary Anning -- who also had a dog who could sniff out fossils.
Anning, one of Jordan鈥檚 personal heroes, collected and sold fossils during the early nineteenth century.
鈥淪he was the first ever fossil hunter,鈥� Jordan said. 鈥淚 read so much about her 鈥� she even had a dog named Trey that she trained her to hunt out fossils and I鈥檝e wanted to do the same thing.鈥�
So once Jordan got his first dog, he said teaching her how to sniff out fossils was 鈥渢he first thing鈥� he did. Jordan said he rewards her with treats whenever she found bones.
