Biology 1st Edition by Jerome Krueger, Kendra Hill, Robert Noyd

Exercise 20

White-tailed deer have as many as seven glands located on different parts of their body that are used primarily for communication. Gland secretions are made of fat-rich compounds that cling to the hair on the deer's leg and are rubbed off onto vegetation as the animal moves. Although both male and female deer produce the secretions, only the males use them as signals. Explain what type of signal these secretions represent and why they might be important tools for communication.