Bacteria give each meerkat its own special stink

What do meerkats and people have in common? Both have “signature scents” crafted by bacteria.

The scent of a meerkat — male or female — is unique‚ signalling to others: friend‚ foe or mate.

But the stink of each kat's calling card are not from the animals but gangs of bacteria that hang out beneath their tails‚ scientists reported on Monday in the journal Scientific Reports.

Other research has found the body odour in human armpits is mostly from bacteria and that microbes help give elephants‚ hyenas‚ badgers and bats their distinctive smells.

Meerkats make their musky paste — which they smear on plants‚ rocks and other members of their gang — in pouches under their tail.

“But the chemical signals in this stinky graffiti don’t come from the meerkats themselves‚” said the study’s lead author Sarah Leclaire.

“They’re made by odor-producing bacteria that thrive in the meerkats’ gooey secretions.”

Study co-author Christine Drea said: “Lots of animals‚ from insects to humans‚ give off distinctive scents that help them distinguish each other and find and choose mates. The question is: how did they get it?

“Are their unique body odors genetically inherited‚ picked up from the environment‚ or do they come from somewhere else?”

To find the answer the researchers swabbed pouches of about three dozen wild meerkats living in the dunes of Kuruman River Reserve in the Kalahari Desert in South Africa.

They analysed the gene sequences of the bacteria‚ finding more than 1‚000 types in the paste‚ and about 220 chemicals. These give the paste its odour‚ which is too subtle for most humans to smell.

Drea said: “Although bacteria are often viewed as harmful germs that make us sick‚ the bacteria that live on animals’ skin‚ scales‚ feathers‚ fur‚ as well as in their guts and scent glands‚ are also performing services that are beneficial.

“They’re not just helping them make vitamins and digest food‚ they’re also responsible for a significant portion of the chemicals animals use to communicate.”

In humans‚ gut bacteria are known to play a key role in intestinal health and immunity and the latest research suggests they may influence body weight and even mental health.

Meerkat gangs share bacteria and could be doing this when they groom‚ mark and other social habits.

They are a social type of mongoose and for four years Animal Planet International had a TV series called Meerkat Manor‚ which followed the lives of one community in the Kalahari Desert.

-TimesLIVE