Flank gland
The flank gland is a skin gland of the golden hamster in the area of the lateral abdominal wall ( flank ). It is a special olfactory organ and is particularly well developed in males. Their secretion contains pheromones that play a role in reproductive behavior.
The flank gland is a clearly pigmented , somewhat thickened area of skin at the transition from the ribs to the lumbar vertebrae, in which, in addition to the epidermis and hair follicles, an increasing number of sebum glands can be found. Because of the pigmentation, the two flank glands are sometimes misinterpreted by laypeople as melanomas .
literature
- Michael Fehr: Aspects of Pet Dermatology . In: Small Animal Practice. 37: 393-401 (1992).