Some Experimental Tests of the Functional Significance of Scent-Marking by Gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus}

The functional significance of male gerbil scent-marks was investigated in four experiments. In Experiments 1 and 2, males in a novel test environment marked more, groomed more, and urinated less in the presence of odors of a strange male than in their absence. Female odors elicited male marking more than did male odors. In Experiments 3 and 4, females were selectively less aggressive toward familiar-smelling males in comparison with unfamiliar-smelling males. These results, in conjunction with field observations of related species, call into question the hypothesis that gerbil scent-marks function territorially and instead suggest that the primary targets are adult females.