BuckRubsandBuckAconspicuoussignindicatingthepresenceofwhite-taileddeerinawoodlotisabuckrub.Amaledeermakesabuckrubbystripthebark(outerlayer)offasmalltreewithitsantlers.Whencompleted,thebuckrubisanobviousvisualsignaltousandpresumablytootherdeerinthearea.Arubisusuallylocatedattheshoulderheightofadeer(onemeterorlessabovetheground)onasmooth-barked,small-diameter(16-25millimeters)tree.Thesmoothbarkofsmallredmaplesmakesthisspeciesidealforbuckrubsinthesofthemid-easternUnitedStates. Adultmaledeerusuallyproducerubsinlatesummerorearlyautumnwhentheoutervelvetlayerisbeingshedfromtheirantlers.Rubsarecreatedaboutonetotwomonthsbeforethebreedingseason(therut).Henceforalongtimebiologistsbelievedthatmaledeerusedbuckrubsnotonlytocleanandpolishantlersbutalsotoprovidepracticefortheensuingmale-to-malecombatduringtherut.However,biologistsalsonotedthatdeersniffandlickanunfamiliarrub,whichsuggeststhatthisvisualmarkonasmalltreeysanimportantcommunicationpurposeinthesociallifeofdeer.不多在它們交配期(期)的前一到兩個月制造擦痕。因此長期以來，生物學家們認為雄鹿擦痕不僅可以清除并磨光鹿茸，還可以借此練習期時雄鹿之間的Buckrubsalsohaveascentproducedbyglandsintheforeheadsofdeerthatistransferredtothetreewhentherubismade.Theseodorsmakebuckrubsanimportantmeansofolfactorycommunicationbetweendeer.Theimportanceolfactorycommunication(usingodorstocommunicate)inthewayoflifeofdeerwasedbyastudyofacaptiveadultmuledeerafewdecadesago,whichthatmalesrubbedtheirforeheadsonbranchesandtwigs,especiallyasautumnapproached.Adecadelateranotherstudyreportedthatadultmalewhite-tailedbuckexhibitedforeheadrubbingjustbeforeandduringtherut.Itwasfoundthatwhenawhite-tailedbuckmakesarub,itmovesbothantlersandforeheadglandsalongthesmalltreeinaverticaldirection.Thisforeheadrubbingbehaviorcoincideswithahighlevelofglandularactivityinthemodifiedscentglandsfoundontheforeheadsofmaledeer;theglandularactivitycausestheforeheadpelage(hairycovering)ofadultmalestobedistinctlydarkerthaninfemalesoryoungermales.雄鹿擦痕都有一種由雄鹿前額上的腺體分泌的氣味它在制造擦痕時涂抹到樹上這些氣味使得雄鹿擦痕成為鹿與鹿之間重要的嗅覺交流方式嗅覺交流(利用氣味交流)在鹿群生活中的重要性可以通過幾十年前一項對圈禁的雄鹿的研究得以印證研究發現特別是當秋天將近時雄鹿就將其前額在樹枝上蹭來蹭去。十年后的另一項研究發現成年雄性白尾鹿在其 期或 期前會摩擦其前額當白尾鹿制造擦痕時它將其鹿茸和前額腺在小樹上垂直磨蹭這種前額的磨蹭行為和雄鹿前額上散發氣味的腺體的異常活躍一致該腺體活動導致成年雄鹿Foreheadrubbingbymaledeeronbuckrubspresumablysendsagreatdealofinformationtoothermembersofthesamespecies.First,thechemicalsdepositedontherubprovideinformationontheindividualidentityofananimal;notwomlsproducethesamescent.Forinstance,asweallknow,dogsrecognizeeachotherviasmell.Second,becauseonlymaledeerrub,thebuckrubanditsassociatedchemicalsindicatetheofthedeerproducingtherub.Third,older,moredominantbucksproducemorebuckrubsandprobablydepositmoreglandularsecretionsonagivenrub.Thus,thepresenceofmanywell-markedrubsisindicativeofolder,higher-statusmalesbeinginthegeneralvicinityratherthansimplybeingacrudemeasureofrelativedeerabundanceinagivenarea.Theinformationconveyedbythesignalsonabuckrubmakesitthesocialequivalentofsomeauditorysignalsinotherdeerspecies,suchastrumpetingbybullelk.擦痕上殘留的化學物質提供了一只動物的信息。沒有兩只氣味相同的哺乳動物。就如我們熟知的那樣，狗就是通味區別彼此的。第二，因為只有雄鹿制造擦痕，所以擦痕及其攜帶的化學物質表示了制造擦痕的鹿的更大、更具地位的雄鹿制造的擦痕，而且其分泌在擦痕上的氣味分Becausebothesofwhitetailsrespondtobuckrubsbysmellingandlickingthem,rubsmayserveaveryimportantadditionalfunction.Fresherbuckrubs(lessthantwodaysold),inparticular,arevisitedmorefrequentlybyadultfemalesthanolderrubs.Inviewofthisbehaviorithasbeensuggestedthatchemicalspresentinfreshbucksmayhelpphysiologicallyinduceandsynchronizefertilityinfemalesthatvisittheserubs.Thiswouldbeanobviousadvantagetowide-rangingdeer,especiallytoasociallydominantbuckwhencourtingseveraladultfemalesduringtheautumn的功能尤其是新鮮擦痕(兩天以內制造的)比更久遠的擦痕受到關注這種行為表明新鮮擦痕上的化學物質可能有助于從生理上誘導并讓關注這些擦痕的雌鹿同時受孕這對分布廣泛的鹿群顯然是一個有利條件尤其在秋天 期處于較高社會 地位的雄鹿可以同時向幾只成年雌鹿求愛。Anothervisualsignalproducedbywhite-taileddeeristermedabuckscrape.Scrapesconsistofclearing(about0.5meterindiameter)andshallowdepressionmadebypushingasidetheleavescoveringtheground;aftermakingthescrape,thedeertypicallyurinatesinthedepression.Thus,likeabuckrub,ascrapeisbothvisualandanolfactorysignal.Buckscrapesaregenerallycreatedafterleaf-fallinautumn,whichisjustbeforeorduringtherut.Scrapesareusuallycedinopenorconspicuousces,suchasalongas