Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, 77843, College Station, Texas.
J Chem Ecol. 1990 Oct;16(10):2947-53. doi: 10.1007/BF00979486.
The scent gland secretions of snakes are thought to repel predators, but few predator species have been tested for responses to these exudates. Domestic cats (Felis catus) were tested for responses to scent gland secretions of the gray rat snake (Elaphe obsoleta), or to choloroform extracts of them, applied to filter paper or food. More cats salivated or rubbed on filter papers treated with scent gland secretions than on control papers. Scent gland exudates elicited rubbing and pawing in cats more frequently than did chemicals from a shed snake skin. Cats offered food pieces treated either with water or with scent gland secretions ate fewer of the latter; this result is consistent with the hypothesis that scent gland secretions deter feeding.
蛇的香腺分泌物被认为可以驱赶捕食者，但很少有捕食者物种被测试过对这些分泌物的反应。研究人员测试了家猫（Felis catus）对灰鼠蛇（Elaphe obsoleta）香腺分泌物的反应，或者对涂抹在滤纸上或食物上的这些分泌物的氯仿提取物的反应。与对照滤纸相比，更多的猫在接触到香腺分泌物处理过的滤纸时会流口水或摩擦滤纸。与蜕皮蛇皮上的化学物质相比，香腺分泌物更能引起猫的摩擦和抓挠。给猫提供的涂有水或香腺分泌物的食物块，它们吃后者的量会减少；这一结果与香腺分泌物能阻止进食的假设是一致的。
