Nostrils? why not feathery tentacles?

Simple question I think, I have some Idea of the answer but would like the ol' second opinion. Vertebrates use olfactory glands in their nostrils (or thereabouts) to sense smell, as well as the roof of their mouths in mammals. For the most part arthropods use antennae.

Currently, one major group (phylum) of animals on my alien planet has a nostril-like system (gill-like rows of slits in front of their eyes) as I assumed larger animals would likely have such a structure instead of antennae - much like exoskeletons and compound eyes. After some thought however, I couldn't definitively say that's right, especially since the reason large animals (i.e. vertebrates) all have nostrils is more likely because they all are or came from fish, which had nostrils.

Question incoming

Is it feasible that a large animal (e.g. a scent-reliant predator the size of a rhino) would be able to make-do with antennae-like structures like an insect? To clarify, would antennae on a large animal be equal to or less efficient/viable/useful?

This question is in regards specifically to olfactory sensing, and not the other sensory purposes of antennae/nostrils. Also, it is not in regards to one specific species but an entire phylum.

posted over 6 years ago

XenoDwarf‭

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