The Smell of Meerkats: How Microbes Shape Their Aroma 0 16

Researchers from Duke University (USA) have discovered that the characteristic musky scent of meerkats comes not from the animals themselves, but from the microbes living in the folds of their skin.

Experts studied thirty wild meerkats living in the Kuru man reserve in the Kalahari Desert (South Africa). The scientists were able to identify over a thousand species of bacteria in the skin folds where the scent glands are located. They also found about 220 volatile chemical compounds, including alcohols, aldehydes, and other substances.

Biologists concluded that it is the composition of the bacteria that influences the emergence of the characteristic aroma. Meerkats are not the only animals that use scents for communication and recognition of their kin: similar chemical signals have previously been found in hyenas, badgers, bats, elephants, and other mammals. According to the authors of the study, almost all characteristic odors, including the smell of human armpits, originate from bacteria.