flehmen

views updated May 14 2018

flehmen Behaviour, probably with a sexual significance, exhibited by felids, goats, and some other mammals when examining a scent mark (see scent marking). Having sniffed the mark intensively, the animal raises its head with its mouth partly open and upper lip slightly drawn back, stares fixedly to its front, and breathes slowly. Sniffing followed by flehmen may occur more than once at a single encounter with a scent mark.

Flehmen

views updated Jun 11 2018

Flehmen Behaviour, probably with a sexual significance, exhibited by felids, goats, and some other mammals when examining a scent mark. Having sniffed the mark intensively, the animal raises its head with its mouth partly open and upper lip slightly drawn back, stares fixedly to its front, and breathes slowly. Sniffing followed by Flehmen may occur more than once at a single encounter with a scent mark.

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