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The findings, reported in the journal Scientific Reports, suggest bacteria in hyenas’ scent glands may be the key controllers of communication.

“A critical component of every animal’s behavioral repertoire is an effective communication system,” says Kevin Theis, co-author of the study and a postdoctoral researcher at Michigan State University. “It is possible that without their bacteria, many animals couldn’t ‘say’ much at all.”

This is the first time that scientists have shown that different social groups of mammals possess different odor-producing bacterial communities. These communities produce unique chemical signatures, and the hyenas can distinguish among them by using their noses.

Past research has demonstrated important roles played by microbes in digestion and other bodily functions. It’s also widely known that most mammals use scent to signal a wide range of traits, including sex, age, reproductive status and group membership.

This study details bacteria living in a mutually beneficial relationship with their hyena hosts. It also highlights the contribution of new DNA sequencing technologies showcasing the role good, symbiotic bacteria play in animal behavior.

On the grassy Kenyan plains, Theis gathered information about the bacterial types present in samples of paste, a sour-smelling secretion that hyenas deposit on grass stalks. Field samples were collected from hyenas’ scent pouches and analyzed using next-generation sequence technology back at MSU labs.

The samples revealed a high degree of similarities, microbial speaking, between deposits left by members of the same clans. They also varied distinctly from paste left by hyenas from other clans.

“One benefit of sharing a common microbial community in their scent pouches would be in terms of job sharing when hyenas scent mark their territory,” Theis says. “Multiple members of the clan could more efficiently carry out the job and mark more territory.”

Researchers gathered information about the bacterial types present in samples of paste, a sour-smelling secretion that hyenas deposit on grass stalks. (Credit: Michigan State University)

Furthermore, group-specific social odors could facilitate the recognition of social partners, thereby reducing rates of squabbles within clans, he adds.

Future studies will dig deeper into the relationship between bacteria and host as well as understanding the scope of information being conveyed by the bacteria.

“The complex social lives of these animals may ultimately be reliant upon their unheralded symbiotic microbial communities,” Theis notes.

This research was funded in part by the National Science Foundation.

Source: Michigan State University