Male ring-tailed lemurs carry antebrachial glands on the inner wrists, each with a small horny spur, and brachial glands near the shoulders. In a stink fight the male pulls his tail between his wrists to charge it, then stands, curls the tail forward over his head and shivers it in the direction of his rival. Both animals do this, often alternating, and the loser eventually retreats.
The glands also mark territory. Males scratch the spur into saplings, cutting the bark and depositing secretion in the wound so the mark persists. Chemical analysis has identified volatile compounds in wrist secretion that vary with individual identity and season, and breeding-season secretions elicit longer attention from females.
Ring-tailed lemur society is female-dominant, as in most lemurs, so male displays operate within a hierarchy that females ultimately control. Why female dominance is so widespread in lemurs but rare in other primates is still unexplained.