The “tomcat compound” 3-mercapto-3-methylbutanol occurs in the urine of free-ranging leopards but not in African lions or cheetahs |
| |
| Authors: | Peter Apps Lesego Mmualefe Neil R Jordan Krystyna A Golabek J Weldon McNutt |
| |
| Institution: | 1. Paul G Allen Family Foundation Laboratory for Wildlife Chemistry, Botswana Predator Conservation Trust, Private Bag 13, Maun, Botswana;2. Botswana Predator Conservation Trust, Private Bag 13, Maun, Botswana;3. Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, The Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Tubney House, Tubney, Oxon OX13 5QL, UK |
| |
| Abstract: | The felid-specific urinary odour compound 3-mercapto-3-methylbutanol and its precursors have been found in several felid species in captivity, but its presence in wild felids has not previously been investigated. We analysed the naturally deposited scent marks from three species of wild, free-ranging big cats in Northern Botswana and found 3-mercapto-3-methylbutanol in four samples of leopard urine (N = 13), but not in lion urine (N = 15) or cheetah urine (N = 6). Individual variation in the presence of the tomcat compound in samples from big cats in the wild may reconcile conflicting results from captive cats. |
| |
| Keywords: | Panthera pardus Panthera leo Acinonyx jubatus Felis silvestris Cauxin Felinine |
| 本文献已被 ScienceDirect 等数据库收录！ |
|
