Relative contributions of urine and anal-sac secretions in scent marks of large felids
Publication Type: |
Journal Article |
Year of Publication: |
1993 |
Authors: |
Cheryl S. Asa |
Publication/Journal: |
Integrative and Comparative Biology |
Keywords: |
anal-sac secretions, felids, lions, scent marking, tigers, urine secretions, zoo |
Abstract:
A hypothesis generated from field observations of lions and tigers was tested in a zoo setting. The presence of a whitish material in urine marks, detected by visual inspection, led to the sumrise that anal-sac secretions were expelled along with urine. This hypothesis was evaluated by labelling anal-sace secretions of various felids with an inert dye. The animals were monitored thereafter for signs of dye in urine-marks, on feces or in their enclosures. The failure to find anal-sac secretions in urine of on feces led to a search for an alternate explanation for ths whitish material. A likely answer was found in the confitmation of considerable lipid in the bladder urine of lions and tigers, which separates to form a visible, whitish layer, Relative levels of urinary lipid reflect general condition of an animal as they correlate with kidney fat reserves, so the amount of lipid in a scent mark could serve as an indicator of condition. Furtherore, because lipid retards the release of volatile compounds, lipid in a scent mark will extend release time of a pheromonal message.