Sandbathing to establish familiarity in the Merriam's kangaroo rat, Dipodomys merriami

Abstract

The hypothesis that olfactory signals deposited at sandbathing sites could function in neighbour and mate recognition was tested in Merriam's kangaroo rats, Dipodomys merriami. Habituation-discrimination tests revealed that both males and females could discriminate between the body oils of familiar and unfamiliar male donors. Only females, however, responded to sebum from the androgen-dependent dorsal gland of males. Oestrous and non-oestrous females preferred the dorsal gland scent of familiar males to that of unfamiliar males; males did not show a preference. In the field, many males sandbathed in the home area of oestrous females on night before and during mating. Taken together, laboratory studies and field observations show that scent deposited at sandbathing sites could convey the identity of the sandbather to conspecifics. Olfactory signals at sandbathing sites could promote familiarity among neighbours and enable males to become familiar to potential female mates.