1. What chemicals make the scent of the musk deer so strong?
2. Why do musk deer use this strong scent?
3. What are some facts about the genome of the musk deer?
4. Why are musk deer hunted?
Answers
Answer:
1 .The musk owes its odor to a preponderance of a particular ketone, known as muscone6 which is generated by the preputial gland . Muscone is claimed to be the sexual attractant for musk deer females13.
2.Musk is a class of aromatic substances commonly used as base notes in perfumery. They include glandular secretions from animals such as the musk deer, numerous plants emitting similar fragrances, and artificial substances with similar odors.Musk was a name originally given to a substance with a strong odor obtained from a gland of the musk deer.
3.Siberian musk deer, one of the seven species, is distributed in coniferous forests of Asia. Worldwide, the population size of Siberian musk deer is threatened by severe illegal poaching for commercially valuable musk and meat, habitat losses, and forest fire. At present, this species is categorized as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.
4.Musk deer have been hunted for their scent glands, which are commonly used in perfumes. The glands can fetch up to $45,000/kg on the black market. It is rumored that ancient royalty wore the scent of the musk deer and that it is an aphrodisiac.