Big bison observation #10: Bison communicate with pheromones


 
In some ways this post is an expansion on my last "big bison observation" post, regarding the flehmen response, but it does have enough new information to warrant a separate post.  To be honest, I've actually been somewhat hesitant to post on the subject of urinary pheromones given the potential to offend some readers, but the use of urinary pheromones by bison is such a prevalent behavior that it would be disingenuous for me to omit it. Consequently, when reading this post, I would suggest you judge it from a bison perspective rather than a human perspective.  For them sampling urine is a means of understanding important chemical signals associated with reproduction and is devoid of any of the complex symbolic meanings ascribed to it by human cultures.  
The moment urination is observe our normally sluggish bull makes a beeline for the stream.
In spite of my suggestion to readers to consider this behavior from a bison's perspective, I must admit that the first time I witnessed it I was so surprised I nearly drove my tractor into a ditch.  I knew that bison exhibit a flehmen response and that urine was involved in the process, but what surprised me was the bull's method of "sampling."  Rather than simply smelling the urine on the ground or down wind from it, the bull used the much more direct method of allowing the urine to fall directly into his mouth. The whole process is really best explained with pictures.
Upon arrival, he wastes no time collecting as large a sample as he is able to.
"Hmm, I believe I detect 1-iodoundecane and perhaps some di-n-propyl phthalate..."
"...but it's really only in trace amounts." 
"Oh well, I'll try again later."
A review of scientific literature indicates that this behavior is normal in bison, but not well studied.  Direct urine sampling has been observed in giraffes as well, which appears to be fairly well documented on the Internet.  I've noticed some suggestions online that giraffes actually drink the urine, but, from what I've seen, this doesn't appear to be the case with bison.  It more or less appears that the urine falls back out of the mouth.  It's kind of like the way the cookie monster eats a cookie without ever really eating it. 

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