What is stink flirting?

When a male ring-tailed lemur picks up the scent of a female who is ready to mate, he releases his own powerful odor from glands on his wrist and tail. This exchange of smells is known as 'stink flirting.'

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How do ring-tailed lemurs flirt?

To entice female ring-tailed lemurs, males rub wrist secretions, which include compounds we use in perfumes, onto their tail and then wave it near the gals.

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What is the ring-tailed lemur courtship behavior?

Early results pinpoint male odors that could be used in courtship. Ring-tailed lemurs have a peculiar habit of shaking their tails at potential rivals. New research shows that during the breeding season, a male's trembling tail may instead be whisking sexy odors toward potential mates.

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What type of interaction is demonstrated by lemurs rubbing their tails with stinky excretions?

During mating season, males rub secretions from the scent glands all over their tails and then wave their tails in the air. These “stink fights” establish rights to breed with females. Calling All Ring-tails - Ring-tailed lemurs communicate with vocalizations and scent marking.

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What is a lemur stink fight?

A “stink fight” occurs when a male who is feeling threatened secretes a clear liquid through the glands on his wrists. He rubs his tail between his wrists and then proceeds to wave his tail through the air to distribute the smell. They will continue with this behavior until one lemur decides to give up and run away.

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Stink Flirting Among Lemurs is a Thing! It Can Attract or Offend 💨 | Smithsonian Channel

26 related questions found

What do lemurs get high on?

Spy In The Wild: Lemurs get 'high' on millipedes.

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What is the scariest looking lemur?

The rare black aye-aye named Melisandre resembles a bat with its pointed ears, long bony fingers and eyes which glow in the dark.

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What symbiotic relationship is a lemur?

These seeds then grow to form new fruit trees, creating a symbiotic relationship between the ruffed lemurs and their favorite fruit trees. They are also the world's largest pollinators. One of their favorite flowers is from the Traveler's palm, because it has nice big flowers that they can fit their entire faces in.

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How do lemurs use pheromones?

The males of these tree-dwelling primates rub secretions from their wrists and shoulder glands onto their tails, wafting the scent toward females in a process known as “stink flirting.” Christine Drea and colleagues at Duke University have found 122 distinct compounds in male lemur secretions.

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Why do lemurs fight each other?

Like most animals, lemurs compete with each other for scarce resources such as territory, food and reproductive mates.

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How do male lemurs attract females?

“During the yearly breeding season, male lemurs rub the glands on their wrists against their fluffy tails and then wave them at females in a behavior called 'stink flirting,'” said University of Tokyo professor and biochemist Kazushige Touhara in a statement.

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What male trait is considered most attractive to female ring-tailed lemurs?

This result indicates that female lemurs are more attracted to male scent gland secretion during the breeding season.

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How does the male ring-tailed lemur attract a female mate?

Male ring-tailed lemurs produce a sweet, fruity aroma from glands on their wrists, which seems to attract females during breeding season. The chemicals responsible for the smell may be the first sex pheromones identified in primates.

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Is telling someone they smell good flirting?

It depends on who you are talking to and what gender that person is. Tell the opposite sex person that “You smell good,” That means you are flirting, you want to sniff more about her or his body, a hint of sexual desire of you.

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How do monkeys flirt?

“You'll often see the male approach the female and sometimes he'll tap her or get in her face to get her attention and he'll make faces such as lip smacking, where it's rapid movement of the lips, or jaw thrusting, where the lower jaw is stuck out and the head is raised.

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Why do lemurs sleep together?

Diurnal lemurs are very social and live in groups known as troops. This social lifestyle ensures they can warn each other against predators. So, group sleeping behavior helps solitary lemurs stay warm and protected from predators that may hunt them while resting.

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What animals use scent to attract a mate?

Bees, wasps, ants, moths and other insects rely largely upon pheromones as a means of communication. Pheromones are chemical substances which may be secreted in urine, dung or produced by special glands. They are usually given off by the female of the species to attract males.

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What animals can smell human pheromones?

Some mammals, however, including rabbits and pigs, detect pheromones through their main olfactory system, so the lack of a vomeronasal organ doesn't necessarily mean that humans are immune to a little chemistry.

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How do mating pheromones work?

Sex pheromones are defined as odors, produced by either males or females that stimulate one or more behavioral reactions in the opposite sex, bringing the males and females together for the purpose of mating.

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What two animals have a parasitic relationship?

A parasitic relationship is one in which one organism, the parasite, lives off of another organism, the host, harming it and possibly causing death. The parasite lives on or in the body of the host. A few examples of parasites are tapeworms, fleas, and barnacles.

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What animals have a parasitic relationship?

Parasites include single-celled protozoans such as the agents of malaria, sleeping sickness, and amoebic dysentery; animals such as hookworms, lice, mosquitoes, and vampire bats; fungi such as honey fungus and the agents of ringworm; and plants such as mistletoe, dodder, and the broomrapes.

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Are humans and pets symbiotic?

Dogs not only become very attached to their owners, but the owners in turn get attached to their pets just as much. This is a true symbiotic relationship. Because the symbiosis is based on equal benefits to both participant species, the relationship is inseparable once bonded.

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What is the scariest looking animal alive?

Don't worry, most aren't dangerous to us, but it's fun to take a peek at some big and creepy looking species.
  • Japanese Spider Crab. The largest known arthropod. ...
  • Giant Marine Isopod. ...
  • Black Flying Fox: ...
  • Goliath Tigerfish. ...
  • Emperor Scorpion. ...
  • Goliath Bird-eating Spider. ...
  • Asian Giant Hornet.

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Are lemurs toxic?

Answer and Explanation: Lemurs are not toxic. The only primate known to be poisonous is the slow loris, which secrets a toxin from its arm and licks it to make its bite toxic.

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