New study shows small prey able to detect predators by a chemical in their urine
Tuesday, June 21, 2011 - 10:30
in Biology & Nature
(PhysOrg.com) -- A team of biologists from Harvard Medical School have isolated a chemical found in the urine of many, if not all carnivores, that small rodents can smell and that causes them to respond accordingly; i.e. to move away or avoid areas where the chemical is present. In a paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, the team found that the chemical, 2-phenylethylamine which is found in the urine of virtually all animals, is much more highly concentrated in predators, and rodents such as mice are able to detect and react to it.