Scent marks as social signals inGalago crassicaudatus I. Sex and reproductive status as factors in signals and responses

In simultaneous presentations of the scent marks of male and female conspecifics, thick-tailed galagos (Galago crassicaudatus) of both sexes responded most strongly to the female scent. Males differentiated between the scents most clearly in their sniffing, females in their scent marking in response. The scent of estrus females elicited increased licking of the scent by both sexes. This greater response to female scent and the contrasts in response patterns between the sexes are discussed and related to galago social and spatial relationships in the wild.