Quite a lot of mammals possess a “sense” that people lack – the Flehmen reaction. This useful type of conversation paperwork a part of the olfactory machine and comes to the Vomeronasal organ (or Jacobson’s organ) and the decryption of chemical messages.
The Flehmen reaction happens in quite a few mammals from the smallest box mouse to very large carnivores such because the Cheetah and Lion, and the bigger ungulates/near-ungulates equivalent to Rhino and Elephants!
This distinctive organ is attached to the nostril and/or mouth, and responds to each smells and tastes by way of detecting moisture-borne chemical indicators. This type of conversation is recognisable by way of the facial features of people upon detecting a odor, aptly termed – the flehmen “grimace”.
The obvious expression of the Flehmen reaction is the curling of the higher lip and wrinkling of the nostrils (as noticed with the Lion and Zebra) alternatively it will also be noticed extra subtly, equivalent to this Cheetah pictured beneath merely opening his mouth and breathing in, or an Elephant touching an object with its trunk after which placing the trunk tip into the mouth.
One most commonly buddies the Flehmen reaction with a male person checking out a feminine’s “reproductive standing” however actually there are lots of further cues delivered during the unencumber of pheromones, from person reputation (good friend or foe?), mind-set, or even to location recall, many cues that analysis is but to know.
If truth be told, we will be able to handiest make guesses as to the content material of those chemical messages that animals cross between themselves, in order we watch them within the box, we attempt to discern all we will be able to. And even if we don’t have our personal “6th sense”, we do have our personal skill to contemplate, consider, and analysis to additional our wisdom at the glorious puzzle of natural world.
– Textual content by way of Conservation Direction & Coaching Supervisor, Megan Hudson