Scent Marking The Mammalian Equivalent of Showy Plumage

Oct. 31, 2013 — The smell of urine may not strike people as pleasant, but female mice find it as attractive as cologne. Researchers at the Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology of the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna have confirmed that male house mice that excel at scent-marking their territory also have more offspring. This is likely because mouse females are able to infer mate quality from the males' scent mark deposits. The findings are reported in the Journal of Animal Behaviour.

Many animals use scent marking to advertise their territory -- they urinate at strategic locations -- to communicate their social status and ownership. It has been suggested that markings serves to attract females and potentially warn off competitors. Much like the peacock tail, males' scent marks appear to be a secondary sexual trait, which females evaluate to judge the quality of a potential mate. When male house mice are subordinate or sick, for example, their scent marks become less conspicuous and less attractive to female mice.

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