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The carpal organ is a glandular complex implicated in scent communication. To investigate its ethological significance, morpho-functional evaluations were conducted on 67 glands collected from animals of different ages and sex during the 2002 hunting season (October–December) in the Bergamo district, Northern Italy. All samples were histologically and morphometrically examined to determine gland surface and thickness, number of secretory tubules per area and outer diameter of the tubules. Comparative analyses revealed significant differences in the above parameters between sub-adults and adults for both sexes, but no differences were found between adult males and females. However, when all specimens were pooled, males revealed more developed and functional glands than females, with the oldest males having the highest values of gland surface, gland thickness and tubule diameter. Our findings suggest that this organ plays a relevant role in social communication by producing chemical signals involved in territorial definition as well as reproduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]