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Scent marking in wild banded mongooses: 1. Sex-specific scents and overmarking
- Source :
- Animal Behaviour. 81:31-42
- Publication Year :
- 2011
- Publisher :
- Elsevier BV, 2011.
-
Abstract
- Overmarking occurs when one individual places its scent mark directly on top of the scent mark of another individual. Although it is almost ubiquitous among terrestrial mammals, we know little about the function of overmarking and detailed field observations are rare. We investigated the chemical composition of scents and patterns of overmarking by wild banded mongooses, Mungos mungo. Chemical analyses of anal gland secretions showed that scents were sexually dimorphic. Both male and female adults were more likely to overmark the scents of same-sex individuals. An analysis of responses to two scents on the same site suggested that the sex of the top or most recent scent was more important than that of the bottom or original scent in determining overmarking response. Juveniles also overmarked scents at high rates, but did not respond to scents in a sex-specific way. Same-sex-specific patterns within groups have not been described in any other species, and may reflect a social system with intense intrasexual competition for reproduction within both sexes. Banded mongooses live in large mixed-sex groups, with intense competition between males for females, owing to the heavily male-biased adult sex ratio and highly synchronized oestrous cycles. Oestrous synchronization may also promote intrasexual competition for males within females, as females compete simultaneously for high-quality males. Female competition for males may also be enhanced by the rewards of male-biased parental care. This investigation highlights the need for detailed studies of overmarking in the natural context, to confirm and expand upon laboratory findings.
- Subjects :
- Banded mongoose
Ecology
Zoology
Context (language use)
Biology
biology.organism_classification
Sexual dimorphism
10127 Institute of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies
1105 Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
Sexual selection
Anal gland
570 Life sciences
biology
590 Animals (Zoology)
Animal Science and Zoology
Animal communication
1103 Animal Science and Zoology
Paternal care
Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
Sex ratio
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 00033472
- Volume :
- 81
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Animal Behaviour
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....e9d884b0495f650aba37d65da45f2eb2