Some experimental tests of the functional significance of scent-marking by gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus)

Investigated the functional significance of male gerbil scent-marks in 4 experiments with 60 male and female Mongolian gerbils. In Exps I and II, males in a novel test environment marked more, groomed more, and urinated less in the presence of odors of a strange male than in their absence. Female odors elicited male marking more than did male odors. In Exps III and IV, females were selectively less aggressive toward familiar-smelling males in comparison with unfamiliar-smelling males. These results, in conjunction with field observations of related species, call into question the hypothesis that gerbil scent-marks function territorially and instead suggest that the primary targets are adult females. (34 ref)