Beyond odor discrimination: demonstrating individual recognition by scent in Lemur catta

The current study demonstrates, for the first time, the occurrence of olfactory individual recognition in a nonhuman primate species. The empirical demonstration of recognition systems requires 1) a set of cues produced by the sender (expression component), 2) the perception of these cues by the receiver (perception component), and 3) a functional response by the receiver (action component). On the basis of this framework, we analyzed by gas chromatography 35 brachial secretions collected from 10 males of Lemur catta. Moreover, we performed habituation/discrimination tests to demonstrate the perception component, and we designed a specific bioassay, based on territorial competition, to highlight a functional response to individual odors. We demonstrated that recognition of conspecific odors goes beyond the perception of cues other than individuality (familiarity, kin, season, age, and rank) and that the receiver actually forms a mental representation of a specific individual by its scent.