Flehmen Response
Lions aren’t the only ones that do it, but in my opinion they do it best. They smell with their mouth using an olfactory sense organ they have behind their front teeth. They scrunch up their face to restrict their nostrils, expose those large canines and “sniff” the air with their mouth. It’s called the Flehmen Response, or simply, Flehming. Lions have community mailboxes which I’ve mentioned in previous posts. It’s a tree or bush where they deposit a message with their urine. Maybe something like “I’m patrolling and will protect my territory.” When they come to the mailbox, they will invariably demonstrate a Flehmen Response to make sure they don’t miss any messages. I’ve also seen males do it around females, obviously interested in something other than territory. (Panthera Leo) (Sony a1, 400mm lens @ f/6.3, 1/500 second, ISO 1250)
Flehmen Response
Lions aren’t the only ones that do it, but in my opinion they do it best. They smell with their mouth using an olfactory sense organ they have behind their front teeth. They scrunch up their face to restrict their nostrils, expose those large canines and “sniff” the air with their mouth. It’s called the Flehmen Response, or simply, Flehming. Lions have community mailboxes which I’ve mentioned in previous posts. It’s a tree or bush where they deposit a message with their urine. Maybe something like “I’m patrolling and will protect my territory.” When they come to the mailbox, they will invariably demonstrate a Flehmen Response to make sure they don’t miss any messages. I’ve also seen males do it around females, obviously interested in something other than territory. (Panthera Leo) (Sony a1, 400mm lens @ f/6.3, 1/500 second, ISO 1250)