Scent anointing in mammals: functional and motivational insights from giant pandas
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Issue Date
2020Journal title
Journal of MammalogyVolume
101Issue
2Begin page
582End page
588
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Show full item recordAlternative link
https://academic.oup.com/jmammal/article/101/2/582/5748363Abstract
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.Type
ArticleRights
© The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Society of Mammalogists, www.mammalogy.org.ae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.1093/jmammal/gyaa014
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