« Previous AbstractNuzzling in the gray short-tailed opossum. I: Delivery of odors to vomeronasal organ    Next AbstractAroma volatile compositions of high- and low-aromatic guava varieties »

Physiol Behav

Title:		Nuzzling in the gray short-tailed opossum. II: Familiarity and individual recognition
Author(s):		Poran NS; Tripoli R; Halpern M;
Address:		"Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, State University of New York, Brooklyn 11203"
Journal Title:		Physiol Behav
Year:		1993
Volume:		53
Issue:		5
Page Number:		969 - 973
DOI:		10.1016/0031-9384(93)90276-l
ISSN/ISBN:		0031-9384 (Print) 0031-9384 (Linking)
Abstract:		"Nuzzling is a chemosensory exploratory behavior that enables South American gray short-tailed opossums to dissolved dry conspecific odor deposits in naso-oral secretions and incorporate them into their vomeronasal organs. This report documents that male opossums nuzzle novel (unfamiliar conspecific) male odors significantly longer than familiar (own of familiar conspecific) male odors or clean substrates. Such findings suggest that an important ethological function of nuzzling behavior involves individual recognition of conspecifics. The first experiment demonstrates that a very short (3-min) exposure to a conspecific odor is sufficient to establish familiarity. The second experiment reveals that a brief exposure results in prolonged (at least 2 h) odor retention. Both experiments establish that nuzzling by males is normally followed by scent marking; thus, novel male odors also elicit increased scent marking. We have identified four novel forms of scent marking by male Monodelphis domestica (ventral, chin, anal/cloacal, and neck) and our data suggest that marking style may be at least partially dependent on the physical properties of the substrata"
Keywords:		"Animal Communication Animals Chemoreceptor Cells/*physiology Discrimination Learning/physiology Habituation, Psychophysiologic/physiology Male Nasal Mucosa/*innervation Opossums/*physiology Pheromones/*physiology Smell/*physiology *Social Behavior Social;"
Notes:		"MedlinePoran, N S Tripoli, R Halpern, M eng NIDCD DC 00104-15/DC/NIDCD NIH HHS/ NINDS 1 F32 NS 08835/NS/NINDS NIH HHS/ Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S. 1993/05/01 Physiol Behav. 1993 May; 53(5):969-73. doi: 10.1016/0031-9384(93)90276-l"