Abstract
The relationship between female dominance and flehmen was investigated in a herd of 11 female sable antelope ( Hippotragus niger) maintained in a 13.2-ha pasture at the National Zoological Park's Conservation and Research Center in Front Royal, VA, U.S.A. All occurrences of aggression and flehmen by adult females were recorded during 274 h of observation over a 9 month period. Overall frequencies of flehmen were highly correlated with rank, dominant females exhibiting the highest flehmen rates. Subordinates rarely performed flehmen in response to urination by higher ranking females. When aggression immediately preceded opportunities for flehmen, dominants virtually always performed flehmen while subordinates never did. Investigation of urine on the substrate was unrelated to rank, suggesting that subordinates may exploit alternate strategies for social investigation. Flehmen may allow synchronization of reproduction by enabling females to assess each other's reproductive condition. High ranking females showed the greatest degree of reproductive synchrony within the herd.
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