Animals Successfully Relearn Smell Of Kin After Hibernation
Friday, February 20, 2009 - 23:28
in Biology & Nature
Animals can re-establish their use of smell to detect siblings, even following an interruption such as prolonged hibernation. Smell is an important animal survival tool. Female ground squirrel sisters bond for protection and use smell to recognize each other. Animals also need to recognize siblings to avoid inbreeding, which would have a negative effect on their genetic fitness. The research on how animals recognize kin is vital to helping plan conservation programs for endangered species.