Territorial marking is behavior used by animals to identify their territory. Most commonly, this is scent marking, accomplished by depositing strong-smelling chemicals such as urine at prominent locations within the territory. Not only does the marking communicate to others of the same species, but it is also noted by prey species and avoided. For example felids such as leopards and jaguars mark by rubbing themselves against vegetation. Some prosimians, such as the Red-bellied Lemur, also use scent marking to establish a territory. Many ungulates, for example the Blue Wildebeest, use scent marking from two glands, the preorbital gland and a scent gland in the hoof. This article does not cite any references or sources. ... For other uses, see Animal (disambiguation). ... In ethology, sociobiology and behavioral ecology, the term territory refers to any geographical area that an animal of a particular species consistently defends against conspecifics (and, occasionally, animals of other species). ... A chemical compound is a chemical substance of two or more different chemically bonded chemical elements, with a fixed ratio determining the composition. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... For other uses, see Species (disambiguation). ... Prey can refer to: Look up Prey in Wiktionary, the free dictionary A prey animal eaten by a predator in an act called predation. ... Subfamilies Felinae Pantherinae Acinonychinae Machairodontinae (extinct) All cats are members of the family Felidae. ... For other uses, see Leopard (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Jaguar (disambiguation). ... The Ring-tailed Lemur (Lemur catta) is a prosimian of the family Lemuridae. ... Binomial name Eulemur rubriventer (I. Geoffroy, 1850) The Red-bellied Lemur (Lemur rubriventer) is a medium sized prosimian with a luxuriant chestnut brown coat. ... Orders & Clades Order Perissodactyla Eparctocyona Order Arctostylonia (extinct) Order Mesonychia (extinct) Cetartiodactyla Order Cetacea Order Artiodactyla Bulbulodentata (extinct) Family Hyopsodontidae Meridiungulata (extinct) Order Litopterna Notoungulata (extinct) Order Toxodontia Order Typotheria Ungulates (meaning roughly being hoofed or hoofed animal) are several groups of mammals most of which use the tips of... Binomial name (Burchell, 1823) The Blue Wildebeest is a large ungulate mammal of the genus Connochaetes which grows to 1. ... Rear hooves of a Horse A hoof is the horny covering of the end of the foot in ungulate mammals. ...
Many territorial mammals use scent-marking to signal the boundaries of their territories; the marks may be deposited by urination, by defecation, or by rubbing parts of the bodies that bear specialised scent glands against the substrate.
Territoriality is not a fixed property of a species: for example, robins defend territories as pairs during the breeding season and as individuals during the winter, while some nectarivores defend territories only during the mornings (when plants are richest in nectar).
Territoriality is only expected to emerge where there is a focused resource that provides enough for the individual or group, within a boundary that is small enough to be defended without the expenditure of too much effort.