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Lemur pairs mirror each other's scent-marking behavior (Image 2)
Three Coquerel's sifakas, a type of lemur, share a tree at the Duke University Lemur Center. A study by Duke researchers has found that the strength of a lemur couple's bond is reflected by the similarity of their scents.
Coquerel's sifakas are white-furred lemurs with chocolate-brown patches on their chests, arms and legs. They have glands on their throats and genital areas that produce a sticky goo that is dabbed on branches and tree trunks as the animals move through the forest.
Mating pairs of lemurs mirror each other's scent-marking behavior and even start to smell alike after they have reproduced. Matched scents are possibly a way to combine territory defenses or to advertise their relationship status to the rest of their group, according to researchers at the Duke University Lemur Center. Couples who have not produced offspring yet spend the most time scent marking and investigating each other's odors.
This research was supported in part by a grant from the National Science Foundation.
To learn more about this research, see the Duke Today news story Lemur lovers sync their scents. (Date of Image: 2014) [See related image Here.]
Credit: David Haring, Duke Lemur Center
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