What is the purpose of scent marking?
Scent marking is a very normal and common behavior that is not usually an issue when it is done outd Read More
What are the three uses of scent markings by mammals?
Jany Bartell
2025-07-03 17:15:43
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Many animals use scent marking to advertise their territory -- they urinate at strategic locations -- to communicate their social status and ownership. It has been suggested that markings serves to attract females and potentially warn off competitors. Much like the peacock tail, males' scent marks appear to be a secondary sexual trait, which females evaluate to judge the quality of a potential mate. Intrusion causes an increase in scent-marking activity. The researchers confirmed that males deposited more scent marks when they perceived a competitor in their territory than otherwise and that they took special pains to mark the borders of their territory.
Rachel Ernser
2025-06-21 02:40:37
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Mammals mark frequently in any situation where they are both intolerant of and dominant to other members of the same species. They mark when they are likely to attack another member of the same species, and are likely to win if they do attack. Such a situation occurs, as Hediger pointed out, in connection with territoriality but it also occurs in other kinds of social systems. Frequent, vigorous marking occurs at times when there is reason to infer that the animal is motivated to aggression. Many species mark with more than one source of scent in response to one stimulus or set of stimuli. Assessment of dominance hierarchy through urine scent marking and its chemical constituents in male blackbuck Antelope cervicapra, a critically endangered species. Scent marking strategies of New World primates. The behavioural role of the mammalian skin glands. Odorant source used in Eurasian beaver territory marking. Female urine-induced male mice ultrasonic vocalizations, but not scent-marking, is modulated by social experience.
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What is an example of scent marking?
They also scent mark and use body postures, tail positions, facial expressions and touch to communic Read More
Alysha Schowalter
2025-06-21 01:00:25
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Animals may use scents to proclaim their readiness to mate, to mark out territorial boundaries, to warn off intruders and predators or, in some cases, to attract prey.
Animals may use scents to mark out territorial boundaries.
Dung is another readily available source of scent used by many animals to mark their territory, with some species accumulating and regularly adding to large heaps of droppings which act as territorial marker posts.
The most basic substance for these purposes is strong smelling urine, but there are other and more refined methods of producing lingering odours.
These take the form of scent glands which may be situated in the hooves, on the face or close to the anus or scrotum.