a curling of the upper lip and raising of the head in certain mammals in response to olfactory stimuli, which behaviour allows the scents better to reach an olfactory organ deep within the animal's nose
flehmen in American English
(ˈfleimən)
noun
Animal Behavior
a behavioral response of many male mammals, esp. deer, antelope, and other artiodactyls, consisting of lip curling and head raising after sniffing a female's urine
Word origin
[‹ G Flehmen, n. use of inf.: (of a domestic ungulate) to curl the lip; cf. dial. (Upper Saxony)flemmen to look spiteful; further relations unclear]