Scent Marking and Contact Call Production in Ring-Tailed Lemurs(Lemur catta)

1999 ◽  
Vol 70 (2) ◽  
pp. 121-124 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryo Oda
Keyword(s):  
Scent Marking ◽  
Lemur Catta ◽  
Contact Call ◽  
Call Production

scholarly journals Mix it and fix it: functions of composite olfactory signals in ring-tailed lemurs

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 160076 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lydia K. Greene ◽  
Kathleen E. Grogan ◽  
Kendra N. Smyth ◽  
Christine A. Adams ◽  
Skylar A. Klager ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Information Content ◽  
Adult Male ◽  
Scent Marking ◽  
Lemur Catta ◽  
Chemical Signals ◽  
Unique Contribution ◽  
Multiple Sources ◽  
Multiple Messages ◽  
Over Time

Animals communicating via scent often deposit composite signals that incorporate odorants from multiple sources; however, the function of mixing chemical signals remains understudied. We tested both a ‘multiple-messages’ and a ‘fixative’ hypothesis of composite olfactory signalling, which, respectively, posit that mixing scents functions to increase information content or prolong signal longevity. Our subjects—adult, male ring-tailed lemurs ( Lemur catta )—have a complex scent-marking repertoire, involving volatile antebrachial (A) secretions, deposited pure or after being mixed with a squalene-rich paste exuded from brachial (B) glands. Using behavioural bioassays, we examined recipient responses to odorants collected from conspecific strangers. We concurrently presented pure A, pure B and mixed A + B secretions, in fresh or decayed conditions. Lemurs preferentially responded to mixed over pure secretions, their interest increasing and shifting over time, from sniffing and countermarking fresh mixtures, to licking and countermarking decayed mixtures. Substituting synthetic squalene (S)—a well-known fixative—for B secretions did not replicate prior results: B secretions, which contain additional chemicals that probably encode salient information, were preferred over pure S. Whereas support for the ‘multiple-messages’ hypothesis underscores the unique contribution from each of an animal's various secretions, support for the ‘fixative’ hypothesis highlights the synergistic benefits of composite signals.

scholarly journals Individual recognition through olfactory–auditory matching in lemurs

2014 ◽  
Vol 281 (1784) ◽  
pp. 20140071 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ipek G. Kulahci ◽  
Christine M. Drea ◽  
Daniel I. Rubenstein ◽  
Asif A. Ghazanfar
Keyword(s):  
Social Group ◽  
Sensory Integration ◽  
Individual Recognition ◽  
Lemur Catta ◽  
Vertebrate Species ◽  
Contact Call ◽  
Space And Time ◽  
Sensory Modalities ◽  
Visual Matching

Individual recognition can be facilitated by creating representations of familiar individuals, whereby information from signals in multiple sensory modalities become linked. Many vertebrate species use auditory–visual matching to recognize familiar conspecifics and heterospecifics, but we currently do not know whether representations of familiar individuals incorporate information from other modalities. Ring-tailed lemurs ( Lemur catta ) are highly visual, but also communicate via scents and vocalizations. To investigate the role of olfactory signals in multisensory recognition, we tested whether lemurs can recognize familiar individuals through matching scents and vocalizations. We presented lemurs with female scents that were paired with the contact call either of the female whose scent was presented or of another familiar female from the same social group. When the scent and the vocalization came from the same individual versus from different individuals, females showed greater interest in the scents, and males showed greater interest in both the scents and the vocalizations, suggesting that lemurs can recognize familiar females via olfactory–auditory matching. Because identity signals in lemur scents and vocalizations are produced by different effectors and often encountered at different times (uncoupled in space and time), this matching suggests lemurs form multisensory representations through a newly recognized sensory integration underlying individual recognition.

scholarly journals Evidence of stereotyped contact call use in narwhal (Monodon monoceros) mother-calf communication

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (8) ◽  
pp. e0254393
Author(s):  
Audra E. Ames ◽  
Susanna B. Blackwell ◽  
Outi M. Tervo ◽  
Mads Peter Heide-Jørgensen
Keyword(s):  
High Arctic ◽  
Preliminary Evidence ◽  
Acoustic Behavior ◽  
Contact Call ◽  
Call Production ◽  
Monodon Monoceros ◽  
Contact Calls ◽  
Individual Distinctiveness ◽  
Additional Support ◽  
And Function

Narwhals (Monodon monoceros) are gregarious toothed whales that strictly reside in the high Arctic. They produce a broad range of signal types; however, studies of narwhal vocalizations have been mostly descriptive of the sounds available in the species’ overall repertoire. Little is known regarding the functions of highly stereotyped mixed calls (i.e., biphonations with both sound elements produced simultaneously), although preliminary evidence has suggested that such vocalizations are individually distinctive and function as contact calls. Here we provide evidence that supports this notion in narwhal mother-calf communication. A female narwhal was tagged as part of larger studies on the life history and acoustic behavior of narwhals. At the time of tagging, it became apparent that the female had a calf, which remained close by during the tagging event. We found that the narwhal mother produced a distinct, highly stereotyped mixed call when separated from her calf and immediately after release from capture, which we interpret as preliminary evidence for contact call use between the mother and her calf. The mother’s mixed call production occurred continually over the 4.2 day recording period in addition to a second prominent but different stereotyped mixed call which we believe belonged to the narwhal calf. Thus, narwhal mothers produce highly stereotyped contact calls when separated from their calves, and it appears that narwhal calves similarly produce distinct, stereotyped mixed calls which we hypothesize also contribute to maintaining mother-calf contact. We compared this behavior to the acoustic behavior of two other adult females without calves, but also each with a unique, stereotyped call type. While we provide additional support for individual distinctiveness across narwhal contact calls, more research is necessary to determine whether these calls are vocal signatures which broadcast identity.

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