American Scientist

To the Editors:

The article by Tristram Wyatt (“How Animals Communicate Via Pheromones,” March–April) was most interesting. I was fascinated by his discussions of similar pheromones in unrelated species. I wonder whether there is information in the literature concerning the pheromones of felids and cervids. I have observed what seem to be pheromone interactions between white-tailed deer and domestic cats several times. The first sighting concerned a doe and a cat. The two approached each other and touched noses.

The most interesting encounter I witnessed involved a cat and a fawn. For some time the two stood gazing at each other from a distance of perhaps 10 feet. The fawn was showing a typical pheromone reaction: Its upper lip was raised and its nose was wrinkled. When I let my cat loose from its leash it approached the fawn but did not touch it. Both, at that point, departed suddenly in different directions.

I would appreciate any comment Wyatt might make on the above interactions that could lead me to some published information.

Phyllis T. Johnson
Friday Harbor, WA

Dr. Wyatt responds:

Ms. Johnson describes some intriguing encounters. Although the raised lip and nose wrinkling reaction (flehmen) is mainly made by mammals in reaction to pheromones of their own species, the flehmen response is also made to many odors of interest including those of other species. Despite the claims for proprietary cat pheromones, we do not know much about them. Equally, deer pheromones are not well studied, so we do not know if the two species’ pheromones share some molecules, although it is possible. Molecules that have a signal function in one species may still be produced for other reasons by another species.

However it is just this kind of behavioral observation that prompts detailed investigation of possible pheromone molecules. In a recent open-access review in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B that advocates for rekindling the search for human pheromones, I describe some of the techniques used to successfully identify a male goat pheromone. The process of finding it started with observations of what happened when female goats were exposed to male odors. In this case the smell brought the females back into estrus.