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Olfactory communication plays an important role in the sociality of giant pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca).A wealth of literature concerning the behavioral and chemical aspects of giant panda scent marking is available (Schaller et al., 1985;Swaisgood et al.,1999; Swaisgood et al., 2000; Swaisgood et al., 2002; White et al.,2002; Hagey and MacDonald, 2003; White et al., 2003; Tian, 2004; Liu et al., 2006;Tian, 2007; Liu et al., 2008; Zhang et al., 2008), but results vary.The number and type of chemical components in scent markings varies between studies due to different pre-treatments and analysis methods (Liu et al., 2000; Hagey and MacDonald, 2003; Yuan et al., 2004; Goodwin et al., 2005; Zhang et al., 2008).To address this issue we used a mixed headspace-solid phase micro-extraction (HS-SPME) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry to pre-treat and detect the chemical composition of panda urine from crude urine samples from four captive giant pandas.We found 82 peaks and through searching the mass spectrometry library of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, 46 different compounds were putatively identified.These components might act as pheromones in the chemical communication between different individuals.Our results indicate that a HS-SPME combined GC-MS method is effective for detecting and identifying chemical compounds in crude giant panda urine and could be used for other species.