animals give and receive information in different ways. one way common among many land creatures is the use of scent , or odour , and the sense of smell to detect it. each species of such animals has its own odour and uses it to communicate; for example , individuals may use their odour to let others know where they are and whether they are ready to mate. some female butterflies , for instance , give out an odour that the males of their species can smell more than 3 kilometres away!