Hamster flank gland

Vasilieva, N. Y. (1994) Social cues influencing reproductive characteristics in Golden hamsters the role of male flank gland secretion, vaginal discharge and litter composition. Advances in the Biosciences 93, 317-323. 

In the golden hamster, M. auratus, both dominant and subordinate males use the flank glands to communicate their social status to inhibit overt aggression during encounters (Ferris etal., 1987). However, they do not need their flank glands to develop dominant/subordinate relationships. 

The function of the flank gland of the golden hamster, Mesocricetus auratus, is not clear but it appears to be involved in signals of sexual and social status and familiarity of the male to the female. Sexually receptive females spend more time near flank scent marks of intact males than castrates, or clean controls. They also stay longer near marks from familiar males than novel males. Finally, these females spend more time near marks of dominant males (compared with subordinate males) (Montgomery-St. Laurent etal, 1988). 

Montgomery-St. Laurent, T., Fullenkamp, A. M., and Fischer, R. B. (1988). A role for the hamster s flank gland in heterosexual commumaLtion.PhysiobgyandBehavior44, 759-762. 

Effects of gonadal hormones on the flank gland of the golden hamster. Hormone Research 4,18-33. 

Johnston, R. E. 1975b. Scent marking by male hamsters II. The role of flank gland odor in the causation of marking. Z. TierpsychoL, 37, 138—144. 

Figure 1. Mean time ( SE) male hamsters spent investigating odors of other males in habituation-discrimination tests. Subjects were presented with flank gland secretion from one male (Sib 1, white bars) on four trials and were then tested for discrimination with the odor from another male from the same family (Sib 2, hatched bars) on the first test trial on the second test trial subjects were tested with the odor of a male from a different family (Non-sib, black bars). (A) Subjects tested with odors from their own brothers. (B) subjects tested with odors from brothers from another family. (C) subjects tested with odors from their foster brothers. Data in part A and B is from Todrank, et al., 1998.

Figure 2. Mean number ( SE) of scent marks by male and female hamsters in response to flank gland secretion from kin and non-kin. (A) Flank marks of males and females to same-sex odors and vaginal marks of females to odors of males. (B) Vaginal marks of females to flank odors of males. (Non-Br - non-brother Non-Sis - non-sister graph after data in Heth, Todrank Johnston, 1998).

Johnston, R., 1975, Scent-marking by male golden hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus), II, The role of the flank gland in causation of marking,... 

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