Dog Pheromones.
Dogs too communicate
by
pheromones, which are emitted through their urine or faeces, or by
the glands situated close to the anus; they spread them into the air with the fluttering
of their tail. The information released by this hormone is varied and it
allows the other animals to identify the fear or courage, the social hierarchy,
the fertility, the sex and the age of the animal that emits those
pheromones. The canine societies respecte and submit to those scents.
With pheromones contained by the urine dogs mark
their territorial limits, recognize the closest neighbours and they also
detect the intruders entering their territory. When females move their tail
indicate mating intention and at the same time they emit amounts of
pheromones to the males, pheromones that are scattered around by the
movement of the animal. When dogs place their
tail between the legs, we predict they do this because they are afraid
although this is also related to pheromones; this actitud helps males to preserve their testicles
and also avoid to emit more pheromones in order not to be identified,
reducing the danger. In the world of hunting this is a well-known issue,
so the tails of the dogs are often cut, but this is not done for the
animal aesthetics, but to erradicate the pheromone communication between
dogs during hunting and in this way to prevent disobediance. A person emits pheromones
perceptibles by dogs.
Dogs have a
great sense of smell, this is why they use pheromones for hormone communication.
Human Pheromones.
In 1986 in some scientific journals was published that humans
too are
able to exchange information through pheromones. It was proved that
pheromones could be collected, frozen for a year and then defrosted and
then applied to people. They discovered the hormonal cycles
of women can and often synchronize when they live together. Researchers
collected feminine smells on cotton pads, then passed them through the upper
lip of other women every day over two menstrual cycles finding
systematic alterations in the cycles of these women. Odors collected
along the follicular phase of the menstrual cycle accelerated the
emergence of luteninizant hormone (hormone that precedes ovulation),
shortening the menstrual cycle, while odors collected in later stages of
the cycle (during ovulation) delayed the emergence of the hormone,
lengthening the menstrual period.
An increase in pheromone levels in the middle of the cycle provokes the ovulation.
Cockroach Robot and Pheromones.
A mini-robot insect (InsBot) was introduced into a colony of
cockroaches and went unnoticed due to the emitted pheromones and to their behavior
reflecting patterns and models of a cockroach
resident in this nest. Created by LEURRE, that is an European programme developed
by Brussels University, it is about infiltrating robots in insects colonies to induce
them to behave in such a way that they could change their
habitat and environment. This project aims at developing itself with
superior animals like hens or lambs. The shape of this robot is not of an insect, but
it is rather similar to a bucket, but the robot's appearance does not
have any effect on cockroaches, since what matters in the
colony is its movement; cockroaches make no physical distinction, which makes
the robot undetectable as a strange being for the rest of the colony.
The cockroaches do not recognize one another by the sight,
but by the pheromones scent.
If you want to read our other articles about pheromone and pine processionary
traps, as well as some curiosities on these insects,
click below.
