Abstract
Maned wolves ( Chrysocyon brachyurus ) are endemic to South America,
monogamous, solitary, and threatened in the wild. Maned wolf urine has a pungent
and powerful odour and is used for scent marking. There is evidence to suggest that
the presence of a male may be required to initiate oestrus and/or ovulation, thus
implying the presence of a primer pheromone. We have employed solid phase
dynamic extraction (SPDE)/GC-MS to identify a number of volatile compounds in
maned wolf urine. These include sulphur-containing hemiterpenoids which are predominantly responsible for the distinctive urinary odour, hemiterpenoid alcohols
which are known bark beetle pheromones, and a variety of pyrazines, some of which
are known to be insect pheromones. Hemiterpenoids are most likely biosynthesised
via a shunt of the mevalonate pathway, while pyrazines are thought to be products
of amino acid metabolism. The abundance of some of these compounds increases as the urine ages, perhaps providing a timed release of putative chemical signals.
Original language | English |
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Title of host publication | Chemical Signals in Vertebrates 12 |
Editors | M.L. East, M. Dehnhard |
Place of Publication | New York [etc.] |
Publisher | Springer |
Pages | 171-184 |
ISBN (Print) | 9781461459262 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2013 |