Identification of Volatiles from the Secretions and Excretions of African Wild Dogs (Lycaon pictus)

Abstract

Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry was used to identify 103 organic compounds from urine, feces, anal glands, and preputial glands of free-ranging African wild dogs, Lycaon pictus. Aliphatic acids were the dominant class of compound in all materials. In addition to aliphatic acids, urine contained dimethyl sulfone, 1,3-propanediol, benzoic acid, 1-methyl-2,4-imidazolidinedione, and squalene as major components: feces contained indole and cholesterol; and both contained 2-piperidone, phenol, 4-methyl phenol, benzeneacetic acid, and benzenepropanoic acid and other compounds. Anal gland secretion was particularly rich in cholesterol and fatty acids, and preputial gland secretion rich in squalene. A large majority of the identified compounds have been reported from other mammals, including species sympatric with African wild dogs. Eleven of the African wild dog components have not been reported previously from mammals and have not been found in sympatric species; one component, 1-methylimidazole-5-carboxaldehyde has not been reported previously as a natural product. In the chemical profiles of their urine, feces, and anal gland secretion African wild dogs differ markedly from other canids.

Characterizing the scent and chemical composition of Panthera leo marking fluid using solid-phase microextraction and multidimensional gas chromatography–mass spectrometry-olfactometry

“…Many of the compounds identified in this study have been identified in the urine and feces of other mammals including African wild dogs ( Lycaon pictus ) 44 , Iberian wolves ( Canis lupus signatus ) 45 , and cheetahs ( Acinonyx jubatus ) 46 . Nearly half of the compounds identified in lion MF were present in African wild dogs ( Lycaon pictus ) urine and feces.…”

“…Nearly half of the compounds identified in lion MF were present in African wild dogs ( Lycaon pictus ) urine and feces. Hexanal, octanal, nonanal, acetic acid, benzaldehyde, acetophenone, dodecanal, phenylethyl alcohol, phenol, 2-piperidone, and indole were identified in the MF of lions and the urine of African wild dogs 44 . 2,5-dimethylpyrazine, one of the characteristic compounds of lion MF, was also identified in African wild dog feces 44 .…”

“…Hexanal, octanal, nonanal, acetic acid, benzaldehyde, acetophenone, dodecanal, phenylethyl alcohol, phenol, 2-piperidone, and indole were identified in the MF of lions and the urine of African wild dogs 44 . 2,5-dimethylpyrazine, one of the characteristic compounds of lion MF, was also identified in African wild dog feces 44 . Phenol, 4-methylphenol, and indole were all identified in the MF of lions and the feces of wild Iberian wolves.…”

Variation in Preen Oil Composition Pertaining to Season, Sex, and Genotype in the Polymorphic White-Throated Sparrow

“…There were too few tan females to determine whether or not they too exhibited a similar pattern. Several invertebrate species, including 3 species of butterflies (Schultz et al 1993) and leaf-cutter ants (Ortius-Lechner et al 2000), as well as many species of lizards (Louw et al 2007) and mammals such as Sika deer (Wood 2003), white-lipped pecari (Waterhouse et al 2001), African wild dog (Apps et al 2012), and lion, leopard, Bengal tiger, and cougar (Soini et al 2012) likely use 2-pentadecanone for intraspecific communication, and it is possible that this compound also serves the same function in the whitethroated sparrow (Table 8). Similarly, octadecanoic acid (stearic acid), which increases in white and tan males during the breeding season, has been assigned with the chemosignaling function in several other taxa ( Table 8).…”

Methylsulfonylmethane: Applications and Safety of a Novel Dietary Supplement

“…Urine is the most common form of excretion as MSM has been detected in urine of rats [63,67], rabbits [4,5], bobcats [68], cheetahs [69], dogs [70], monkeys [66], and humans [4,62,71,72]. Additionally, excretion of MSM can be contained in feces [63,64] or several other biofluids including cow’s milk [54,73], red deer tail gland secretion [74], and human saliva [75].…”