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Flehmen Response
Sighted on: 28.November.2023
We were lucky to observe some interesting animal behaviour during the morning game drive. Lions defend their territories from intruders and patrol the same frequently to do so. They ‘scent mark’ to proclaim their ownership and warn off intruders. Intruders, in turn, also spray to announce their presence and challenge ownership. We observed two of our resident lionesses, Lady Tau and her sister, as they picked up an intruder’s scent mark. They gave a fine demonstration of the ‘flehmen response’ – a mode of intra-species communication. In this process, they transfer air containing pheromones and other scents to the ‘Jacobson Organ’, an olfactory-chemosensory organ located between the roof of the mouth and the palate, used to analyse chemical messages. They typically inhale with their mouth open and upper lip curled, making a distinctive ‘face’.
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