Abstract
Urine of the black-tailed deer is the source of the “deer lactone,” which is deposited on the tarsal gland tufts by “rub-urination.” The enantiomer composition of the lactone from the urine of the female is 89(R)-(−)/11(S)-(+). Responses by deer were strongest toward the synthetic racemic lactone in the social test and toward the natural lactone in the choice test. In both tests, the (−)- lactone released slightly stronger responses than its enantiomer.
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Odocoileus hemionus columbianus.
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Müller-Schwarze, D., Ravid, U., Claesson, A. et al. The “deer lactone”. J Chem Ecol 4, 247–256 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00988059
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00988059