Chemosensory responses in two species of elephants to constituents of temporal gland secretion and musth urine.

This report discusses three areas of investigation: (1) The chemical components in the temporal gland secretion (TGS) of Asian (Elephas maximus) and African (Loxodonta africana) elephants were characterized by radioimmunoassay (RIA) for testosterone (T) and dihydrotestosterone (DHT) levels and by on-column capillary column gas chromatographic analysis of volatiles. An inverse relationship between TGS testosterone levels and (E)-farnesol levels was observed. (2). African elephants responded preferentially toward a particular constituent of African elephant TGS. (3) Urine from Asian bull elephants in musth was partially fractionated by high-performance liquid chromatography. Specific chromatographic regions elicited dramatic avoidance responses from female African elephants. These results support the suggestion that the TGS plays multiple chemocommunicative roles.