ABSTRACT
Closely related Mus species Mus musculus and Mus domesticus are the most popular objects in the study of mammalian chemical communication. The understanding of pheromone influences on mammalian behavior has advanced dramatically since the term “pheromone” was introduced. The major advances in recent years have been based mainly on a single species-the mouse (laboratory form of Mus musculus domesticus). Genetic technologies have revealed a surprisingly large repertoire of chemosensory receptors in mice that potentially detect pheromones (Brennan 2010). However, interspecies chemical communication in the house mouse remains the least investigated area. Use of the laboratory inbred strains of mice makes understanding of the behavioral effects elicited by chemical signals from other species even more complicated.
