Territoriality beaver scent marking

Unlike most terrestrial mammals, beavers maintain territories along a line following watercourses. Both species, the Eurasian beaver, C. fiber, and the North American beaver, C. canadensis, dredge up mud from the bottom of their home pond, carry it on land, deposit it, and apply a scent mark on top of this mud... 

Rosell, F., Bergan, F., and Parker, H. (1998). Scent marking in the Eurasian beaver [Castor fiber) as a means of territory defense. Journal of Chemical Ecology 24, 207-219. 

Rosell, F. 2002, The function of scent marking in beaver (Castor fiber) territorial defence, PhD thesis, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway. 

Castoreum or caster is a strongly scented creamy fluid derived from the genitals of male beavers. This name is also applied to similar materials taken from otters and muskrats. These fluids are used by the animals to mark their territories and to attract females. They are reputed to have the same effects on other species, notably humans, when incorporated into perfumes or creams. Castoreum perfume is produced by placing the entire gland into alcohol. 

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