Abstract
Dichloromethane extracts of wolverine (Gulo gulo, Mustelinae, Mustelidae) anal gland secretion were examined by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. The secretion composition was complex and variable for the six samples examined: 123 compounds were detected in total, with the number per animal ranging from 45 to 71 compounds. Only six compounds were common to all extracts: 3-methylbutanoic acid, 2-methylbutanoic acid, phenylacetic acid, α-tocopherol, cholesterol, and a compound tentatively identified as 2-methyldecanoic acid. The highly odoriferous thietanes and dithiolanes found in anal gland secretions of some members of the Mustelinae [ferrets, mink, stoats, and weasels (Mustela spp.) and zorillas (Ictonyx spp.)] were not observed. The composition of the wolverine’s anal gland secretion is similar to that of two other members of the Mustelinae, the pine and beech marten (Martes spp.).
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We thank Audrey Magoun, Allen Barrette of Fairbanks Fur Tannery, and Tom Seaton of the Alaska Department of Fish & Game for help in obtaining the samples.
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Wood, W.F., Terwilliger, M.N. & Copeland, J.P. Volatile Compounds from Anal Glands of the Wolverine, Gulo gulo. J Chem Ecol 31, 2111–2117 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-005-6080-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-005-6080-9