| Title: | Brown bear skin-borne secretions display evidence of individuality and age-sex variation |
| Author(s): | Clapham M; Wilson AE; Williams CL; Sergiel A; |
| Address: | "Department of Geography, University of Victoria, 3800 Finnerty Road, Victoria, BC, V8P 5C2, Canada. Department of Veterinary Biomedical Science, University of Saskatchewan, 52 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5B4, Canada. Conservation Science and Wildlife Health, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, 15600 San Pasqual Valley Road, Escondido, CA, 92027, USA. Institute of Nature Conservation, Polish Academy of Sciences, Adama Mickiewicza 33, 31120, Krakow, Poland. sergiel@iop.krakow.pl" |
| DOI: | 10.1038/s41598-023-29479-y |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 2045-2322 (Electronic) 2045-2322 (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "Scent originates from excretions and secretions, and its chemical complexity in mammals translates into a diverse mode of signalling. Identifying how information is encoded can help to establish the mechanisms of olfactory communication and the use of odours as chemical signals. Building upon existing behavioural and histological literature, we examined the chemical profile of secretions used for scent marking by a solitary, non-territorial carnivore, the brown bear (Ursus arctos). We investigated the incidence, abundance, and uniqueness of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from cutaneous glandular secretions of 12 wild brown bears collected during late and post-breeding season, and assessed whether age-sex class, body site, and individual identity explained profile variation. VOC profiles varied in the average number of compounds, compound incidence, and compound abundance by age-sex class and individual identity (when individuals were grouped by sex), but not by body site. Mature males differed from other age-sex classes, secreting fewer compounds on average with the least variance between individuals. Compound uniqueness varied by body site and age for both males and females and across individuals. Our results indicate that brown bear skin-borne secretions may facilitate age-sex class and individual recognition, which can contribute towards further understanding of mating systems and social behaviour" |
| Keywords: | "Humans Male Animals Female *Ursidae Individuality Social Behavior Pheromones Smell Animals, Wild;" |
| Notes: | "MedlineClapham, Melanie Wilson, Abbey E Williams, Candace L Sergiel, Agnieszka eng Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't England 2023/02/24 Sci Rep. 2023 Feb 23; 13(1):3163. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-29479-y" |
