Chemical Communication
Abby Robinson
What is chemical communication?
Well, communication, the passing of information from one organism to another, is a crucial part of life for all living things, especially in animal societies. Chemical communication is a more elaborate way of communication that involves smell and taste. Most forms of chemical communication involves pheromones, or chemical marks that are left behind. Pheromones can be found in glands nearly all over the body and also in body wastes.
Scratch that
Canada lynxes urinate on trees to mark their territory. As well as urinating on trees, they also leave claw marks. Although claw marks seem like a form of visual communication, it can also be a form of chemical communication. Some animals' claws have chemical scents within them, so the scent is left behind when a scratch is made, marking their territory.
http://www.fws.gov/midwest/twincities/images/mammals/lynx/calyByDennis%20Donohue.jpg
Taste-and-Chase
Snakes use their special forked tongues to track down prey. Their tongues collect pheromones in the air left behind from the animals, and the receptors in the roof of their mouths help snakes sense the pheromones to find their prey.
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Stranger Danger
Striped skunks, when felt threatened, face the intruder and spray a foul odor to ward off the predator. Unexpected noises or movements also can cause the spray to occur. This odorous spray is a way to warn others that a dangerous predator is near.
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"Born" Identity
Family members can also be identified by pheromone glands. Some animals have pheromone glands in their hind legs. Young mule deer, for example, often sniff other deer's hind legs when traveling in herds to find their mothers.
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https://greatwhitehunter.files.wordpress.com/2008/03/spike2.jpg
An Alarming Sting
Another form of alarm signalling is in bee stings. The pheromones in the sting not only has the purpose of wounding the threat, but also to warn other bees of the intruder. The bees receive the signal and are automatically triggered to swarm and attack the enemy. "Killer bees" aren't necessarily lethal only because of their slightly venomous sting but also due to the pheromones released by the stings that cause more bees to attack and continuously sting the target. The multiple stings harm the enemy even more and ultimately may kill the predator.
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https://pastortimfowler.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/killer-bees.jpg