Back نظام الشم Arabic Sistema olfativu AST Čulo mirisa BS Sistema olfactori Catalan Riechbahn German Flara sistemo Esperanto Sistema olfativo Spanish Usaimen-sistema Basque دستگاه بویایی Persian Système olfactif French
| Olfactory system | |
|---|---|
 Components of the olfactory system | |
| Identifiers | |
| FMA | 7190 |
| Anatomical terminology | |
The olfactory system or sense of smell is the sensory system used for smelling (olfaction). Olfaction is one of the special senses, that have directly associated specific organs. Most mammals and reptiles have a main olfactory system and an accessory olfactory system. The main olfactory system detects airborne substances, while the accessory system senses fluid-phase stimuli.
The senses of smell and taste (gustatory system) are often referred to together as the chemosensory system, because they both give the brain information about the chemical composition of objects through a process called transduction.