Chemical properties of femoral gland secretions in the desert iguana,Dipsosaurus dorsalis

This study investigates the chemistry of femoral gland secretions in the desert iguana,Dipsosaurus dorsalis (Lacertilia: Iguanidae), and discusses their possible functional significance. Electrophoretic and proton NMR studies indicated that the secretions are composed of approximately 80 % protein and 20% lipid material. Individual differences in polyacrylamide gel banding patterns of femoral gland proteins were found. Reflectance spectroscopy revealed that the secretions strongly absorb longwave ultraviolet light, a feature that may be important in the localization of secretion deposits in the environment.