Interspecific responses of wild African carnivores to odour of 3-mercapto-3-methylbutanol, a component of wildcat and leopard urine

The scent of 3-mercapto-3-methylbutanol (3-M-3-MB), a volatile component of leopard ( Panthera pardus ) and domestic cat ( Felis silvestris catus ) urine, released at about 10 ng/s from slow-release dispensers, elicited scent-marking from African civet ( Civettictis civetta ), small-spotted genet ( Genetta genetta ) and slender mongoose ( Galerella sanguinea ), as well as African wildcat ( F. s. cafra ). A female leopard was apparently repelled by the scent. The scent-marking and scent-rubbing by species other than African wildcats and leopards were unexpected and have important implications for the design of studies to investigate chemical communication between wild mammals and the use of camera traps to estimate animal numbers. Videos showing the behaviours referred to in this article are available at; http://www.momo-p.com/showdetail-e.php?movieid=momo161223fs01a ; http://www.momo-p.com/showdetail-e.php?movieid=momo161223gs01a ; http://www.momo-p.com/showdetail-e.php?movieid=momo161223gg01a .