The orang-utan (Pongo spp.) comprises two endangered species endemic to the islands of Borneo and Sumatra, and both species are in rapid decline due to habitat loss and the pet trade. Females typically do not bear offspring until their mid-teens, and thereafter give birth about every eight years, thus resulting in a slow replacement of the population. Within any orang-utan society the dominant male alone possesses large cheek pads (�flanges�), which are thought to prove more attractive to sexually receptive females and thus increase his reproductive success. We are using solid phase dynamic extraction (SPDE)/GC-MS to identify volatile organic compounds emanating from the cheek pads, and to compare them to compounds detected from skin on other parts of flanged males (as well to volatiles from females and non-flanged males) in a search for possible chemical signals that contribute to mating success.

Searching for chemical signals in orang-utans (Pongo spp.)

247th National Meeting (2014)

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