Abstract
The Mongolian gerbil (Meriones unguiculatus) secretes an attractant pheromone from the Harderian gland during a facial groom. The material exits at the external nares and is spread over select areas of the face. Its presence stimulates investigation by conspecifics, as seen by video observations. The half-life of the fluorescence of the material on the face following a groom parallels the half-life of attraction. Shock-avoidance and taste-aversion conditioning indicate that animals can both smell and taste a chloroform extract of Harderian glands. They will also seek out and investigate the extract when presented alone. It is suggested that thermoregulatory grooming, social needs, and chemosignaling are intimately linked.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Alberts, J.R. andGalef, E.G., Jr. 1971. Acute anosmia in the rat: A behavioral test of a peripherally-induced olfactory deficit.Physiol. Behav. 6(5):619–622.
Garcia, J., Hankins, W.O., andRusiniak, K.W. 1974. Behavioral regulation of the milieu interne in man and rat.Science 185:824–831.
Siegal, S. 1956.Non-Parametric Statistics. McGraw-Hill, New York.
Thiessen, D.D.,Goodwin, M., andClancy, A.N. 1976. The Harderian gland: A behavioral puzzle, (unpublished).
Thiessen, D.D., Regnier, F.E., Rice, M., Goodwin, M., Isaacks, N., andLawson, N. 1974. Identification of a ventral scent marking pheromone in the male Mongolian gerbil (Meriones unguiculatus).Science 184:83–85.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
This research was supported by grant No. MH 14076-08 awarded to Dr. D. D. Thiessen.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Thiessen, D.D., Clency, A. & Goodwin, M. Harderian gland pheromone in the Mongolian gerbilMeriones unguiculatus . J Chem Ecol 2, 231–238 (1976). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00987746
Received:
Revised:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00987746