High-Ranking Male Primates Keep Wafting Their Sex Stink at Females, Who Hate It

Researchers call it "stink flirting." A male ring-tailed lemur rubs his signature scent onto his long, fluffy tail, then waves it over his head in the direction of a nearby female. Males seem to intend this gesture as a sexual overture. But it often gets them into fights—with lemurs of both sexes. In fact, scientists aren't sure stink flirting helps male lemurs at all. Smell is an important communication tool for ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur catta). Both males and females have scent glands on their genitals that they use to mark their territory. Male lemurs have extra scent glands on their chests and wrists, which make different smelly secretions the lemurs use or combine for different purposes. Sometimes male lemurs rub secretions from their chest and wrist glands into their tail fur. Then they may wave their tails at other male lemurs—something researchers call a "stink fight." In this case the ...