Wild Western Lowland Gorillas Signal Selectively Using Odor

Michelle Klailova; Phyllis C. Lee

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0099554

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Open Access

Peer-reviewed

Research Article

Wild Western Lowland Gorillas Signal Selectively Using Odor

Michelle Klailova ,

* E-mail: mk29@stir.ac.uk

Affiliations Division of Psychology, Behaviour, Evolution and Research Group, School of Natural Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling, United Kingdom, Departamento de Antropologia, Centro de Administração e Politicas Públicas, Instituto Superior de Ciências Sociais e Políticas, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal, Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, The Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Tubney, United Kingdom
⨯
Phyllis C. Lee

Affiliation Division of Psychology, Behaviour, Evolution and Research Group, School of Natural Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling, United Kingdom
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Wild Western Lowland Gorillas Signal Selectively Using Odor

Michelle Klailova,
Phyllis C. Lee

Published: July 9, 2014
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0099554

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Signalling requires a response form other animals

Posted by Peter-Apps on 18 Jul 2014 at 14:38 GMT

While you have demonstrated that lowland gorilla silverbacks smell differently (to humans) according to what they are doing, the claim that this is a signal is premature. You need to show that other gorillas respond to the smells in a way that makes biological sense; if the odours' biological role favours the receivers then the odours may be cues, if they favour both sender and receiver they can usefully be called signals.

No competing interests declared.

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Wild Western Lowland Gorillas Signal Selectively Using Odor

Wild Western Lowland Gorillas Signal Selectively Using Odor

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Signalling requires a response form other animals

Posted by Peter-Apps on 18 Jul 2014 at 14:38 GMT