The meaning of a chemical message released by male Asian elephants depends on the chemical’s total concentration as well as the balance of the chemical’s two forms, say the authors of a new report.
The pheromone frontalin, a signal well studied in bark beetles, has two versions that are molecular mirror images of each other. Previously, L. Elizabeth L. Rasmussen of the Oregon Health and Science University in Beaverton and David R. Greenwood of Hort Research in Auckland, New Zealand, reported that Asian elephants also use frontalin as a pheromone. Mature males release this chemical during musth, a period when they become aggressive and seek mates.