Smell is everything to a canine, also called a canid. All 34 species in the Canidae family—which includes domestic dogs, wolves, coyotes, foxes, jackals, and dingoes—use their noses to find food, track one another’s whereabouts, and identify competitors, as well as potential predators.

A dog’s nose is also important for temperature control. All canids lack sweat glands, which means they can’t shed heat through perspiration. Instead, the predators pant through their noses and mouths. Several canines howl, most famously wolves. They do this to communicate with pack members and to tell others to stay away. Many domestic dog breeds also howl.

Canines are native to every continent except Antarctica and Australia, where the dingo was introduced by