Lipid components in anal scent sacs of three mongoose species (Helogale parvula, Crossarchus obscurus, Suricata suricatta)

Abstract

Anal sac secretions of three social mongoose species (Helogale parvula, Crossarchus obscurus, andSuricata suricatta) were chemically analyzed by means of gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Compounds with high molecular weights (greater than 250) were found to distinguish the three species. Differences in composition suggest a possible species-specific role in scent marking. MaleH. parvula had vitamin E present in the anal sac, whereas it was absent in the females. This suggests a possible sex-specific function of vitamin E inH. parvula. No differences in chemical composition were found between male and femaleS. suricatta. Ten compounds were found in femaleC. obscurus that were not present in the male.

Olfactory discrimination of anal sac secretions in the domestic cat and the chemical profiles of the volatile compounds

“…(Zhang et al 2002, 2005). Chemical analyses of anal sac secretions of the red fox ( Vulpes vulpes ), dog ( Canis familiaris ), coyote ( Canis latrans ), wolf ( Canis lupus ), and mongoose have identified volatile short-chain free fatty acids, such as acetic acid, propanoic acid, and butanoic acid as being responsible for the odors (Albone and Perry 1976; Apps et al 2012; Decker et al 1992; Preti et al 1976; Raymer et al 1985). …”

Handstand scent marking: height matters to dwarf mongooses

“…First, they might have been seeking out male deposits, because males place their marks higher than females (mean 14.9 cm versus 13.5 cm; Sharpe et al, 2012). However, considering that the composition of a group's scent mark deposits is heavily male biased (because males mark at three times the rate of females; Sharpe et al, 2012) and that anal-gland secretions are sexually dimorphic (Decker et al, 1992) and presumably distinguishable to the mongooses (based on the faeces presentation), it seems unlikely that females would need height cues to locate male deposits. More importantly, the findings of the faeces presentation suggest that female dwarf mongooses are much more interested in the scent deposits of females than of males (spending 70% longer sniffing samples from female donors).…”

“…This 'overmarking' (Johnston et al, 1994) appears to be random with regard to the sex or rank of the overmarked depositor (Jooste, 2009). Dwarf mongoose anal-gland secretion is known to be sexually dimorphic (Decker, Ringelberg, & White, 1992) and handstand marks remain detectable by the mongooses for up to 10 days (Rasa, 1973).…”

Socioecological and phylogenetic patterns in the chemical signals of strepsirrhine primates

“…In contrast to the emphasis placed on intraspecific studies, there have been exceptionally few mammalian studies in which researchers used a comparative approach to analyse chemical data (Belcher et al, 1986;Decker, Ringelberg, & White, 1992;Zabaras, Richardson, & Wyllie, 2005). Comparative studies can 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 be methodologically challenging (delBarco-Trillo, Burkert, Goodwin, & Drea, 2011;Drea et al, 2013), but can provide a wealth of information about species differences relevant to understanding broader socioecological patterns, as well as unique insights into the evolution of chemical signals across different phylogenetic scales (Symonds & Elgar, 2008).…”