African elephant sesquiterpenes
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Updated: Oct 18, 2026

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Sampling and Analysis of Animal Scent Signals
Published on: February 13, 2021
T E Goodwin1, E L Rasmussen, A C Guinn
1Department of Chemistry, Hendrix College, Conway, Arkansas 72032, USA. goodwin@hendrix.edu
Journal of Natural Products
|December 2, 1999
Abstract:
GC-MS analysis of extracts from temporal gland secretions of an African elephant has revealed the presence of several farnesol-related sesquiterpenes. Among these are (E)-2, 3-dihydrofarnesol (3), a bumblebee pheromone not seen before in mammals, and a rare component of a Greek tobacco, drimane-8alpha, 11-diol (4), never observed before in an animal.
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