Abstract
Responses exhibited by animals as they investigate chemical signals deposited by conspecifics can provide insight into the information content of scent marks. Depending on the species and type of scent mark under consideration, the information content can include identification of species, sex, age, reproductive state, individual identity, group membership and an individual’s dominance status (Rails, 1971; Brown, 1979). Here we describe an automated method for field measurements of badgers’ responses to urinary chemosignals of conspecifics. We found that the badgers’ responses to scent marks were determined in part by the type of scent donor, supporting the hypothesis that information on age, sex, and seasonality are included in badger urine scent marks. In the British Isles badgers live predominantly in social groups, the members of which defend a shared territory (Neal and Cheeseman, 1995). Badgers scent mark using a variety of glandular secretions and excretory products, and although many aspects of olfactory communication in badgers have already been studied, the role of scent marking with urine in badger social behaviour remains unclear.
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Service, K.M., Harris, S. (2001). Remote Monitoring of Badgers (Meles Meles) for Testing Discrimination Between Urine Samples from Donors of Different Age and Sex Categories. In: Marchlewska-Koj, A., Lepri, J.J., Müller-Schwarze, D. (eds) Chemical Signals in Vertebrates 9. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-0671-3_62
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-0671-3_62
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