Editing Giant panda (section)

=== Olfactory communication ===
Giant pandas heavily rely on [[Olfactic communication|olfactory communication]] to communicate with one another. [[Scent marking|Scent marks]] are used to spread these chemical cues and are placed on landmarks like rocks or trees.<ref name="Hagey-2003">{{Cite journal |last1=Hagey |first1=Lee |last2=MacDonald |first2=Edith |date=2003 |title=Chemical cues identify gender and individuality in giant pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) |journal=Journal of Chemical Ecology |volume=29 |issue=3 |pages=1479–1488 |doi=10.1023/A:1024225806263 |pmid=12918929 |s2cid=22335820 |via=SpringerLink}}</ref> Chemical communication in giant pandas plays many roles in their social situations. Scent marks and odors are used to spread information about sexual status, whether a female is in [[Estrous cycle|estrus]] or not, age, gender, individuality, dominance over territory, and choice of settlement.<ref name="Hagey-2003" /> Giant pandas communicate by excreting volatile compounds, or scent marks, through the anogenital gland.<ref name="Hagey-2003" /><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Zhu |first1=Jiao |last2=Arena |first2=Simona |last3=Spinelli |first3=Silvia |last4=Liu |first4=Dingzhen |last5=Zhang |first5=Guiquan |last6=Wei |first6=Rongping |last7=Cambillau |first7=Christian |last8=Scaloni |first8=Andrea |last9=Wang |first9=Guirong |last10=Pelosi |first10=Paolo |date=2017-11-14 |title=Reverse chemical ecology: Olfactory proteins from the giant panda and their interactions with putative pheromones and bamboo volatiles |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America |volume=114 |issue=46 |pages=E9802–E9810 |doi=10.1073/pnas.1711437114 |issn=0027-8424 |pmc=5699065 |pmid=29078359|bibcode=2017PNAS..114E9802Z |doi-access=free }}</ref> Giant pandas have unique positions in which they will scent mark. Males deposit scent marks or urine by lifting their hind leg, [[scent rubbing|rubbing]] their backside, or standing in order to rub the anogenital gland onto a landmark. Females, however, exercise squatting or simply rubbing their genitals onto a landmark.<ref name="Hagey-2003" /><ref name="White-2002">{{Cite journal |journal=Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology |jstor=4602087 |language=en|title=The Highs and Lows of Chemical Communication in Giant Pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca): Effect of Scent Deposition Height on Signal Discrimination |last1=White |first1=Angela M. |last2=Swaisgood |first2=Ronald R. |last3=Zhang |first3=Hemin |year=2002 |volume=51 |issue=6 |pages=519–529 |doi=10.1007/s00265-002-0473-3 |s2cid=42122274 }}</ref>

The season plays a major role in mediating chemical communication.<ref name="White-2004" /> Depending on the season, mainly whether it is breeding season or not, may influence which odors are prioritized. Chemical signals can have different functions in different seasons. During the non-breeding season, females prefer the odors of other females because reproduction is not their primary motivation. However, during breeding season, odors from the opposite sex will be more attractive.<ref name="White-2004" /><ref name="Wilson-2020" /> Because they are solitary mammals and their breeding season is so brief, female pandas secrete chemical cues in order to let males know their sexual status.<ref name="Wilson-2020" /> The chemical cues female pandas secrete can be considered to be [[pheromone]]s for sexual reproduction.<ref name="Wilson-2020">{{Cite journal |last1=Wilson |first1=A.E. |last2=Sparks |first2=D.L. |last3=Knott |first3=K.K. |last4=Willard |first4=S. |last5=Brown |first5=A. |date=2020 |title=Simultaneous choice bioassays accompanied by physiological changes identify civetone and decanoic acid as pheromone candidates for giant pandas |journal=Zoo Biology |volume=39 |issue=3 |pages=176–185 |doi=10.1002/zoo.21532 |pmid=31919913 |s2cid=210133833}}</ref> Females deposit scent marks through their urine which induces an increase in [[androgen]] levels in males.<ref name="Wilson-2020" /> Androgen is a sex hormone found in both males and females; [[testosterone]] is the major androgen produced by males. [[Civetone]] and [[decanoic acid]] are chemicals found in female urine which promote behavioral responses in males; both chemicals are considered giant panda pheromones.<ref name="Wilson-2020" /> Male pandas also secrete chemical signals that include information about their sexual reproductivity and age, which is beneficial for a female when choosing a mate.<ref name="Hagey-2003"/><ref name="White-2004"/> For example, age can be useful for a female to determine sexual maturity and sperm quality.<ref name="Swaisgood-2019">{{cite book |last1=Swaisgood |first1=Ronald R. |chapter=7. Chemical Communication in Giant Pandas |date=2019-12-31 |title=Giant Pandas |pages=106–120 |publisher=University of California Press |last2=Lindburg |first2=Donald |last3=White |first3=Angela M. |last4=Zhang |first4=Hemin |last5=Zhou |first5=Xiaoping |doi=10.1525/9780520930162-015 |isbn=978-0-520-93016-2 |s2cid=226766316}}</ref> Pandas are also able to determine when the signal was placed, further aiding in the quest to find a potential mate.<ref name="Swaisgood-2019" /> However, chemical cues are not just used for communication between males and females, pandas can determine individuality from chemical signals. This allows them to be able to differentiate between a potential partner or someone of the same sex, which could be a potential competitor.<ref name="Swaisgood-2019"/>

Chemical cues, or odors, play an important role in how a panda chooses their habitat. Pandas look for odors that tell them not only the identity of another panda, but if they should avoid them or not.<ref name="Swaisgood-2019"/> Pandas tend to avoid their species for most of the year, breeding season being the brief time of major interaction.<ref name="Swaisgood-2019"/> Chemical signaling allows for avoidance and [[Competition (biology)|competition]].<ref name="White-2002"/><ref name="White-2004">{{Cite journal |last1=White |first1=A.M. |last2=Swaisgood |first2=R.R. |last3=Zhang |first3=H. |date=2004 |title=Urinary chemosignals in giant pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca): Seasonal and developmental effects on signal discrimination |journal=Journal of Zoology |volume=264 |issue=3 |pages=231–238|doi=10.1017/S095283690400562X}}</ref> Pandas whose habitats are in similar locations will collectively leave scent marks in a unique location which is termed "scent stations".<ref name="Swaisgood-2019" /> When pandas come across these scent stations, they are able to identify a specific panda and the scope of their habitat. This allows pandas to be able to pursue a potential mate or avoid a potential competitor.<ref name="Swaisgood-2019"/>

Pandas can assess an individual's dominance status, including their age and size, via odor cues and may choose to avoid a scent mark if the signaler's competitive ability outweighs their own.<ref name="White-2002"/> A panda's size can be conveyed through the height of the scent mark.<ref name="White-2002"/><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Nie |first1=Yonggang |last2=Swaisgood |first2=Ronald R. |last3=Zhang |first3=Zejun |last4=Hu |first4=Yibo |last5=Ma |first5=Yisheng |last6=Wei |first6=Fuwen |date=2012 |title=Giant panda scent-marking strategies in the wild: role of season, sex and marking surface |journal=Animal Behaviour |volume=84 |issue=1 |pages=39–44 |doi=10.1016/j.anbehav.2012.03.026 |s2cid=53256022 |issn=0003-3472}}</ref> Since larger animals can place higher scent marks, an elevated scent mark advertises a higher competitive ability. Age must also be taken into consideration when assessing a competitor's fighting ability. For example, a mature panda will be larger than a younger, immature panda and possess an advantage during a fight.<ref name="White-2002"/>