A variety of mammals possess a “sense” that people lack – the Flehmen response. This purposeful type of communication types a part of the olfactory system and includes the Vomeronasal organ (or Jacobson’s organ) and the decryption of chemical messages.
The Flehmen response happens in quite a lot of mammals from the smallest discipline mouse to giant carnivores such because the Cheetah and Lion, and the bigger ungulates/near-ungulates akin to Rhino and Elephants!
This distinctive organ is related to the nostril and/or mouth, and responds to each smells and tastes by detecting moisture-borne chemical alerts. This type of communication is recognisable by the facial features of people upon detecting a scent, aptly termed – the flehmen “grimace”.
The obvious expression of the Flehmen response is the curling of the higher lip and wrinkling of the nostrils (as seen with the Lion and Zebra) nevertheless it may also be noticed extra subtly, akin to this Cheetah pictured beneath merely opening his mouth and inhaling, or an Elephant touching an object with its trunk after which inserting the trunk tip into the mouth.
One principally associates the Flehmen response with a male particular person testing a feminine’s “reproductive standing” however in truth there are lots of extra cues delivered by means of the discharge of pheromones, from particular person recognition (pal or foe?), way of thinking, and even to location recall, many cues that analysis is but to grasp.
In reality, we are able to solely make guesses as to the content material of those chemical messages that animals go between themselves, in order we watch them within the discipline, we attempt to discern all we are able to. And though we don’t have our personal “sixth sense”, we do have our personal capacity to ponder, think about, and analysis to additional our data on the great puzzle of wildlife.
– Textual content by Conservation Course & Coaching Supervisor, Megan Hudson
