甘肃鼢鼠粪尿气味对侵占行为的影响

Effect of fecaluria odor of Gansu zokors (Myospalax cansus) on its territorial invading behaviour

The Gansu zokor ( Myospalax cansus) is a solitary fossorial rodent, which inhabits its own tunnel system. The Gansu zokor are highly aggressive, and encounters between of two animals may end in the death or injury of one of them. In order to investigate the effect of fecaluria odor of the Gansu zokor on its invading behaviour, the behavioral methods were used to determine whether Gansu zokors use faeces to mark their own territorial boundaries and the effect on its excavation pattern. The results showed that when an intruder was introduced, the test animal almost always shifted its latrine location to the intruder’s side. The Gansu zokor can detect the conspecific odor. In nonbreeding season, the odor of urine and faeces of Gansu zokors prolongs excavation of homosexual intruders and play a role in delaying conspecifics from entering the territory .