ARPHA Preprints, doi: 10.3897/arphapreprints.e196454
Cloacal scent gland secretions are effective in a breeding season but not sex-specific in Japanese rat snake (Elaphe climacophora) (Chordata, Reptilia, Squamata, Colubridae)
Hiroki Akimoto‡, Masaki Hoso§‡ Graduate School of Advanced Science and Engineering, Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan§ Faculty of Education and Integrated Arts and Sciences, Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan
Corresponding author: Hiroki Akimoto ( hirokiakimoto0608@gmail.com ) © Hiroki Akimoto, Masaki Hoso. This is an open access preprint distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Citation:
Akimoto H, Hoso M (2026) Cloacal scent gland secretions are effective in a breeding season but not sex-specific in Japanese rat snake (Elaphe climacophora) (Chordata, Reptilia, Squamata, Colubridae). ARPHA Preprints. https://doi.org/10.3897/arphapreprints.e196454 |  |
Abstract
Although the odor of cloacal secretions in snakes is obvious, their function remains unclear. We tested whether these secretions are involved in sexual communication and evaluated the seasonality of their effects. Using T-maze assays across breeding and non-breeding seasons, we found that choices were biased away from the scented arm in the breeding season, whereas choices were random in the non-breeding season. However, no clear sex-specific responses were observed. Our findings emphasize that behavioral responses to cloacal secretions are modulated by seasonality. Future studies are needed to decouple changes in signal chemistry from shifts in receiver sensitivity.
Keywords
chemical communication, cloacal scent glands, Colubridae, musk, seasonality, T-maze assay