Scent anointing in mammals: functional and motivational insights from giant pandas

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Issue Date
2020
Author
Charlton, Benjamin D.
Owen, Megan A.
Zhang, H.
Swaisgood, Ronald R.
Subject
GIANT PANDAS
BEHAVIOR
COMPETITION
TERRITORIALITY
Journal title
Journal of Mammalogy
Volume
101
Issue
2
Begin page
582
End page
588

Metadata
Show full item record
DOI
10.1093/jmammal/gyaa014
Alternative link
https://academic.oup.com/jmammal/article/101/2/582/5748363
Abstract
Although several mammals impregnate their fur with environmental odors, a phenomenon termed scent anointing or rubbing, the functional relevance of this behavior often is unclear. One theory is that scent anointing could be a form of scent matching with environmental odors to signal competitiveness and home range occupation....
Description
Anyone who has ever seen a bear, dog, or large cat roll in some odoriferous substance has surely wondered what the animal is trying to accomplish. When we observed giant pandas rolling in urine, alcohol and other strong-smelling substances, rubbing it on their faces and necks like a cat with catnip, we decided we needed to conduct an experiment to understand this unusual behavior. We systematically placed various odoriferous substances in pandas’ habitats at the Wolong Breeding Center, and documented their response. Our findings suggest that pandas may anoint with foreign odours to signal home range occupation, and the behavior may play an important role in determining competitive interactions between adult male giant pandas. These studies are part of a larger research program to understand communication and social behaviors to facilitate conservation breeding of the species.
URI
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12634/325
Type
Article
Rights
© The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Society of Mammalogists, www.mammalogy.org.
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