Beaver castor sacs

FIGURE 3.11 Castor sacs (C) and anal glands (A) in the beaver. (Photograph, D. Miiller-Schwarze dissection, B. Stagge.)... 

Svendsen and Jollick (1978) studied the microbes in the castor sacs and anal glands of the beaver, C. canadensis. No bacteria cultured from the castor sacs, while the anal sacs contained the aerobe Escherichia coli and the anaerobe Bacteroidesfragilis. Species and numbers of bacteria did not differ between the sexes, age classes, or beaver colonies. 

After a secretion has been produced, it can be stored for later use or even accumulated for massive or repeated signals. Anal sacs of canids, mustelids, and felids, and the castor sacs of beaver are examples. The skunk provides the most dramatic example for such reservoirs with large amounts of often very potent secretions. We do not understand well if and how the various compounds are transformed in these reservoirs. 

Castoreum p-methoxyphaiol, p-ethylphaiol, acetophencme, and l -benzenediol/armnatics and d radation products oily cream found in the sac of beavers Castor spp., Mamm. /fixative in all perfiunes, particularly leather, amber, and re perfumes Magie Noire (LancSme), Em ude (Coty), and Arpfege (Lanvin)... 

C.jHjjNOj, Mr 249.35, mp. 64.5-65.6 C, [a]g -80 (CHCI3). Castor fiber), which is of importance for the perfume industry. The animals use the glands for territorial marking. Apart from alkaloids like C. the castoreum contains phenolic compounds that influence the behavior of the animals C. itself does not appear to play a role. ... 

Previous studies have demonstrated that castoreum is used by the beaver to signal territoriality (e.g., Muller-Schwarze 1992). The coding of chemical signals in the castoreum can be understood through the combination of chemical analyses and behavioral bioassay of castoreum compounds. For chemical analyses, Walbaum and Rosenthal (1927) first identified four neutral compounds, and later Lederer (1946, 1949) found nine neutral and 15 phenolic compounds in castoreum mixtures. Several more compounds were added by Valenta et al. (1960) and Ohloff (1976), and recently Tang et al. (1993, 1995) found 13 more neutral and 15 more phenolic compounds in the castoreum. At present, we do not have exact knowledge about how castoreum compounds are formed and how many compounds are present in the castor sac. Evidence, however, shows that numerous castoreum compounds are derived from plants beavers eat (Muller-Schwarze 1992). 

Wairo, J. M. Svendsen, G. E. 1982. Castor sacs and anal glands of the North American beaver Castor canadensis). J. Chem. Ecol., 8, 809-819. 

In the second phase of the odor response, the beaver left the water, walked slowly to the scent pile, and sniffed it, with its nose 5 cm or less from the sample. After sniffing, the beaver pawed the mudpile with its front feet, usually flattening it, then stepped forward, straddled the mud-pile, and rubbed its cloacal area over the mud. During this movement, secretions of the castor sacs and anal glands are applied to the substrate. Having thus scent marked the experimental mudpile, the beaver walked from the pile toward the water, slid into the pond, and swam away. With many samples, the beaver did not return after one bout of activity at the experimental scent mound, but other samples attracted several beaver or the same beaver several times. The most intense response consisted of 19 land visits by various members of the colony. 

Ambergris is a waxy and flammable substance that is produced in the digestive system of sperm whales. Initially, it has a marine odor. With time, as it ages, it becomes sweeter, related to the fragrance of rubbing alcohol. Castoreum is the exudate from the castor sacs of the beaver. It is used in perfumes and as a food additive. 

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