The flank gland is an organ in certain animals the generates scents used to attract mates or deter attack. Animals having flank glands include some voles and shrews. Numerous scientific studies have been carried out on the properties of these structures.

[edit] References

• Wolf & Johnson, Scent Marking in Taiga Voles, Microtus xanthognathus, Journal of Mammology (1979) Vol. 60, No. 2, pp. 400-04 [1]
• Cantoni et al., Intra- and interindividual variation in flank gland secretions of free-ranging shrews (Crocidura russula), Journal of Chemical Ecology (1996) Vol. 22, No. 9, pp. 1669-88 [2]

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