Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 1984 Aug;10(8):1193-9.
doi: 10.1007/BF00988548.

Sex pheromone source location by garter snakes: : A mechanism for detection of direction in nonvolatile trails

N B Ford  1 , J R Low Jr
Affiliations

Sex pheromone source location by garter snakes: : A mechanism for detection of direction in nonvolatile trails

N B Ford et al. J Chem Ecol. 1984 Aug.

Abstract

Male plains garter snakes,Thamnophis radix, tested in a 240-cm-long arena can detect directional information from a female pheromone trail only when the female is allowed to push against pegs while laying the trail. The female's normal locomotor activity apparently deposits pheromone on the anterolateral surfaces of vertical structures in her environment. The male sensorily assays the sides of these objects and from this information determines the female's direction of travel.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Science. 1971 Mar 19;171(3976):1149-51 - PubMed
    1. J Theor Biol. 1963 Nov;5(3):443-69 - PubMed
    1. Can J Zool. 1978 Mar;56(3):469-76 - PubMed
    1. Science. 1981 Nov 6;214(4521):681-3 - PubMed