| 释义 |
flehmen, n.
Brit. |ˈfleɪmən|, U.S. |ˈfleɪmən|
[‹ German Flehmen (mainly of horses) curling of the lip (in sexual excitement) (K. M. Schneider Zool. Garten (1930) 3 184).]
A behaviour seen in many mammals in response to certain olfactory stimuli, esp. sex pheromones, characterized by a curling of the upper lip and a raising of the head. Freq. attrib., esp. in flehmen response.
1970Jrnl. Mammal. 51 270 Flehmen or lipcurl was quite common [in a herd of captive giraffes], usually by a male to the urine of a female. 1974M. W. Fox Understanding your Cat (1992) iii.65 With certain substances a cat will open its mouth (the flehmen reaction) to facilitate access of odors to this special olfactory organ. 1992BBC Wildlife Jan. 34/1 (caption) The Flehmen response forces air into the vomeronasal or Jacobson's organ, a pouch deep within the nose which analyses sex pheromones and other smells. 2002Trav. Afr. Winter 105/4 In many species actual readiness for mating is established through Flehmen, the male sniffing the urine and genitals of a female using a teeth-exposing, nose-wrinkled grimace. |