Familiarization carnivores

The seasonal response to the faeces varied between the prey species. In the two smaller species, the late wet season was when they showed most avoidance. At this time, even fox and Tasmanian devil faeces (unfamiliar predators) were avoided, supporting the idea of common chemical triggers in carnivore faeces (Dickman and Doncaster 1984). In U. caudimaculatus, response to familiar predators appeared stronger than to unfamiliar predators quoll and dingo faeces were always avoided. 

Strange as it sounds, the absence of odor often serves as a powerful stimulis unfamiliar and still unmarked objects or areas prompt vigorous scent marking. This applies to many mammals, including ungulates, such as pronghorn, Antilocapra americana (Muller-Schwarze et al, 1972) rodents, such as house mice, Mus musculus (Hurst, 1987), and carnivores (Kleiman, 1966). For example, pine martens, Maries martes, mark most consistently unmarked objects and do not mark objects that already carry their own odor. It is concluded that marking primarily serves familiarization. 

Another example from carnivores is the odor of anal sac secretion in the ferret, Mustelafuro. Ferrets discriminate strange from familiar individuals by this odor. (They also use anal sac secretion to distinguish males from females, a familiar individual s from own odor, and fresh from 1-day old odor, but not between fresh and odor only 2 hours old nor anestrous from estrous females [Clapperton etal., 1988]). 

Carnivores Most of us are familiar with carnivorous insects such as mosquitoes, deer flies, and biting midges. These pests land on mammals or birds, suck blood for a short period of time, and then fly away. Others that feed on blood, such as lice and fleas, live on the skin of animals, hidden in their fur. Gardeners should also get to know the large group of carnivorous insects that feed on insects or other arthropods. These are divided into two main groups—predators and parasites. 

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