# Why do you only notice dead-skunk smell after you've driven past?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-only-notice-dead-skunk-smell-after-youve-driven-past/175796>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [May 17, 2003, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-only-notice-dead-skunk-smell-after-youve-driven-past/175796 "2003-05-17T00:11:55Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\
**Post date:** [May 17, 2003, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-only-notice-dead-skunk-smell-after-youve-driven-past/175796/1 "2003-05-17T00:11:55Z")

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I drove by an unfortunate skunk (who was quite a mess) and, as usual, I didn’t smell him until I was well past him. Is there something about the way the car’s vents are designed that accounts for the lag in smelling road-killed skunks? Something else?