Scent marking in mammals

Birds do not usually rely on scent for territorial marking. Some species, however, such as burrowing owls, apply odoriferous substances to their nest cavities or burrows. The functions are not well understood. Non-avian predators are thought to be the addressees, placing such marking outside the intraspecific behavior of this chapter. 

The four species of hyena all scent mark plants with anal gland secretion ( pasting ). Different species concentrate their scent marks in different parts of their territories. In the resource-poor Kalahari, both brown Hyaena brunnea) and 

Canids a second case study in territorial marking 

Urine marking by canids has received much attention. Wolves, Canis lupus, mark by raised-leg urination (RLU), squat urination (SQIJ), defecation, and scratching. In Minnesota s Superior National Forest, wolf packs maintain 

FIGURE 6.7 The double scent mark of the brown hyena. The black mark on top originates from apocrine glands and the white mark from separately located sebaceous glands. (Redrawn from Mills etal., 1980.) 

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Johnson, R.P. 1973. Scent marking in mammals. Anim. Behav., 21, 521—535. 

Herrera E. and Macdonald D.W. (1994). Social significance of scent marking in Capybaras. J Mammal 75, 410-415. 

Scent Marking in Free-Ranging Mammals. Examples Beaver or Badger... 

Gorman M.L. (1990). Scent marking stratgies in mammals. Rev Suisse Zool 97, 3-30. 

For mammals, if not vertebrates in general, multicomponent pheromones appear to be the rule. Such mixtures can comprise compounds of a wide range of volatility. They have been variously termed odor profile, pattern, odor image (Albone, 1984), gestalt (Evans ct al., 1978), or mosaic (Johnston, 2005). One of the best-investigated odor profiles is that of the scent mark of the saddle-back tamarin, S. fuscicoUis, (Smith et al, 1985). Here, not even the 16 butyrate esters are sufficient for subspecies recognition. Additional volatiles are also required. 

In mammals, dominant individuals typically scent mark more - or in a more effective manner - than subordinate ones. 

In mammals, males usually have stronger odors, larger and/or more scent glands, scent mark more often, and respond more to alien scent marks. Selection on the basis of odor differences can take place at the level of the individual, deme, population, or subspecies. In polygamous species, intrasexual selection via male-male or female-female competition and sexual selection can be most intense. Most mammals are polygamous, so odor dimorphism is probably widespread (Blaustein, 1981). 

This second experiment with predator odors deals with day-active mammals whose behavior can be observed directly and readily. Small mammals snch as sqnirrels are prey to many predatory birds and mammals. Vigilance vis-a-vis predators encompass all major senses smell, vision, and hearing. In the chemical sphere, predators leave signals from scent marks, droppings, and nrine in the environment. Sqnirrels as typical rodents have a keen sense of smell capable of detecting snch predator odors and extracting information snch as how recent the sign is. 

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