Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 28, 2026
07:55
Chemical Isolation, Quantification, and Separation of Skin Lipids from Reptiles
Published on: February 7, 2019
An airborne sex pheromone in snakes
1School of Biological Sciences A08, University of Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia. rick.shine@sydney.edu.au
Biology Letters
|October 14, 2011
Summary
Reptile pheromones are usually detected by touch. However, airborne scents from mating snakes can terminate courtship, showing reptiles use olfaction for detecting airborne sex pheromones.
Area of Science:
- Ethology
- Chemical Ecology
- Herpetology
Background:
- Reptile sex pheromones are typically large lipid molecules detected through direct contact via the vomeronasal system.
- A known non-lipid pheromone in snakes signals courtship termination upon encountering copulatory fluids.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if the non-lipid courtship-terminating pheromone in red-sided gartersnakes (Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis) can be detected via olfaction (airborne scents).
- To determine if direct physical contact is necessary for this pheromone's effect.
Main Methods:
- Field experiments were conducted at a communal den of red-sided gartersnakes in Manitoba.
- Courtship behavior was observed following exposure to airborne scents from mating conspecifics.
Main Results:
- Exposure to airborne scents from mating conspecifics effectively terminated courtship behavior in males.
- Courtship termination occurred without the need for direct physical contact or tongue-flicking.
Conclusions:
- The non-lipid courtship-terminating pheromone in red-sided gartersnakes is detectable via olfaction, functioning as an airborne signal.
- Reptile sexual behavior can be influenced by both airborne and substrate-bound pheromones, expanding our understanding of chemosensation in reptiles.
