The sulfur compounds are grouped in Table 1 according to similarities in their carbon skeleton or its absence: isoprenoid (IS), other alkyl (AS), phenyl (PS) and octasulfur (S). Dog foxes use their excrement and pungent urine as territorial markers, often leaving their droppings in prominent positions. I bottled some Fox-scented sawdust in a screw-top honey jar in 1962, and at the time of writing (February, 1967) the smell retains much of its original quality. Indeed, Peter Apps and colleagues, in their 2015 review of vertebrate chemical signals, concluded that signal compounds with high molecular weights and low vapour pressures, or those that are bound to carrier proteins and are hence less prone to vaporising, are invariably detected during direct contact with the source of the signal.

Quantitation of acetophenone required another GC-MS analysis, with the addition of d 8-acetophenone as internal standard. While one book (Henry, 1993) notes “[i]t is perfectly safe to put your nose 4 - 6 in (10 - 15 cm) of a Fox urine mark and smell for the characteristic odor”, it should be noted that there is a disease caused by the genus of bacteria Leptospira. Even she started coming less often, saying it was unbearable to even step inside, but she still came enough to keep me honest. If mixing scent molecules with lipids affects their release, then the types of molecules and lipids may affect the overall scent produced, implying the possibility that I smell different from you, for example, despite us both being humans. Low molecular weight volatile apocarotenoids are potent odourants that attract pollinating insects, and include β-ionone, β-ionone-5,6-epoxide, 2,4,6-trimethylcyclohexanone and dihydroactinidiolide [ 98, 101].The finding of several anthropogenic chemicals in fox urine shows that foxes, although living in the wild state, are not free from human impacts when they forage around farms and human habitation, especially as their diet is omnivorous. Water is contaminated by either domestic or wild animals urinating in the water, or close to water sources. These structures help to vastly increase the surface area available to support olfactory epithelium and, correspondingly, significantly improves the fox's sense of smell. We considered that the most interesting compounds, and the most likely to act as semiochemicals, would be those that are found most exclusively in foxes. Isopentyl methyl sulfide and its unsaturated cogener, 3-isopentenyl methyl sulfide, share the same branched 5-carbon group and have only been found in the urine of three other canids and the anal sac of the mink, a musteloid related to skunks [ 78].

The data suggested that fox urine may be an effective but nonharmful stimulus alternative for use in avoidance tasks. After about four weeks, the cubs are old enough to emerge from the den and begin exploring the outside world. It is also found in the urine and scent gland excretions of the red fox – the first time a compound produced by a mammal has been reported to elicit a ‘catnip response’. The red fox is a highly adaptable mammal that has established itself world-wide in many different environments.Four fox samples were also analyzed after extraction of urine with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) coated stir-bars (Twister ®, Gerstel), following the method described by Zhang et al. When they become accustomed to humans, other nuisance behaviour such as bin-raiding and biting can occur [ 2].

The grey wolf, Canis lupus, is mainly carnivorous in the wild with a small proportion (5–10%) of fruit in its diet [ 107]. In other words, scent marking is the deposition of secretions/excretions, either on objects in the environment or on other members of the same species, that contain information about the depositor and can be detected and interpreted by conspecifics.I was a bit skeptical because of the legal/ethical implications, but somehow got sold that larping as British noblemen might be fun to try for one afternoon to see if I liked it. Placing the “advertisement” on a path that nobody uses or in a place where it can be easily overlooked is a waste of time and effort. Structures were confirmed by comparison with standards (obtained from Sigma Aldrich), when available, as well as by interpretation of their mass spectra where this gave characteristic ions. In cases of co-elution, a good quality mass spectrum was found for each compound, from which up to three characteristic (and non-interfering) ions were selected.