Abstract
SOME years ago I was engaged in an examination of the small, almost residual, herd of fur seal (Arctocephalus australis) in the Falkland Islands. In the course of it a number of animals were killed, among them several bulls, or ‘wigs’ in the sealer's vocabulary. After handling the bulls', skins there was left on the unwashed hands a general, not unpleasant, ‘seal’ smell; but after washing there remained a definite perfume rather resembling the odour emitted by the common civet when it is pleasurably excited. On one bright, sunny day, therefore somewhat warm on the rocks, I passed a few feet away from and to leeward of a bull and I was able to observe the pleasant perfume, which was definitely air-borne. If I remember rightly, this seal was a little angry. The seals on which these observations were made were all met with in summer, that is, over the rather extended breeding season.
Similar content being viewed by others
Article PDF
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
HAMILTON, J. Scent of Otariids. Nature 177, 900 (1956). https://doi.org/10.1038/177900c0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/177900c0
This article is cited by
-
Olfactory discrimination ability of South African fur seals (Arctocephalus pusillus) for enantiomers
Journal of Comparative Physiology A (2013)
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.