Variation in stimulus, seasonal context, and response to urine marks by captive Iberian wolves (Canis lupus signatus)

Abstract

Urine marking behaviour was observed over 14 months in two captive pairs of Iberian wolves (Canis lupus signatus) by means of behaviour sampling. The study focused on the relative attractiveness of the different stimuli toward which urinations are directed, the seasonal context of urine marking, and the response by mates to sexually dimorphic action patterns. Kinds of marked substrates varied according to the posture used by wolves to urinate [raised-leg urination (RLU), flexed-leg urination (FLU), standing urination (STU), or squat urination (SQU)]. In RLUs and FLUs the wolves mainly used conspicuous substrates, whereas STUs and SQUs were carried out directly onto inconspicuous substrates. Wolves urinated on plants more than on other substrates, mostly selecting trees. A selection of trees according to their trunk diameter was also observed. The posts were chosen or avoided seemingly because of their specific characteristics such as size. In short, wolves marked with urine (RLUs and FLUs) those substrates that secured a greater effectiveness of marking. The mean duration of RLUs was lower than that of FLUs and SQUs. The rate of RLUs in males increased in winter (November-December) and in summer (July-August), while the rate of FLUs and SQUs in females and STUs in males did not increase during these periods. The wolves investigated RLUs more frequently than SQUs. The RLU display appears to be more ancestral than derived, similar in all species of canids and even in the Iberian wolf.

Evaluating the functional, sexual and seasonal variation in the chemical constituents from feces of adult Iberian wolves (Canis lupus signatus)

“…Chemical communication plays an important role in the social organization and spatial distribution of wolves 12 , 15 , 19 – 21 . Indeed, they largely depend on smell, which allows them to acquire information about their environment and communicate within the group and with other groups 22 , 23 .…”

“…Indeed, they largely depend on smell, which allows them to acquire information about their environment and communicate within the group and with other groups 22 , 23 . Wolves invest their time and energy in an odorous marking strategy that guarantees the maximum probability of detection of fecal signals 19 , 24 . They deposit feces and urine on visually conspicuous and elevated substrates, which improve their function as marks 15 – 17 , 20 , 24 , 25 .…”

“…For example, in the wild, Iberian wolves select plants with greater diameter and height as a substrate to deposit feces, increasing the effectiveness of feces as visual signals, and facilitating the dispersion of the smell by the wind and the increase of the surface of evaporation 24 . In addition, feces are accumulated in strategic sites, such as crossroads where the probability of being detected by conspecifics is greater 19 .…”

Evaluating the functional, sexual and seasonal variation in the chemical constituents from feces of adult Iberian wolves (Canis lupus signatus)

“…In addition, these odorous signals may help individuals to orient themselves within their own territories or simply make them feel safe therein 15 . In many carnivores, there is a close association between dominance and scent marking, and in some species, such as the wolf (Canis lupus), only high-ranking individuals (i.e., the alpha pair), show marking behavior with urine 16,17 and feces 12 , through which they continuously signal their social status to the rest of the group members 18 .Chemical communication plays an important role in the social organization and spatial distribution of wolves 12,15,[19][20][21] . Indeed, they largely depend on smell, which allows them to acquire information about their environment and communicate within the group and with other groups 22,23 .…”

“…Indeed, they largely depend on smell, which allows them to acquire information about their environment and communicate within the group and with other groups 22,23 . Wolves invest their time and energy in an odorous marking strategy that guarantees the maximum probability of detection of fecal signals 19,24 . They deposit feces and urine on visually conspicuous and elevated substrates, which improve their function as marks [15][16][17]20,24,25 .…”