Animal Behavior Quiz 4

Female Sexual Behavior - Maternal Behavior

what is sexual receptivity seen as

cyclical in nature

outline the graph of the estrous cycle of a cow

• ~21 days

• the female ovulates on day 0 due to LH presence

• estrogen increases in the follicular phase

• estrogen decreases drastically after the egg is released

• progesterone rises as CL is produced

  • it maintains pregnancy if th egg implants and the female gets pregnant

what are 3 types of estrous cyclicity

1. polyestrous

2. seasonally polyestrous

3. monoestrous

what are polyestrous cycles

• continuously repeated cycles

• they cycle until conception

• ex) cows and sows

what are seasonally estrous cycles

• continuously repeated cycles only during certain seasons of the year

• some animals are short or long day breeders

• ex) ewes, does, mares, queens

what are monoestrous cycles

• only having 1 estrous cycle during a given season or year

• ex) bitch

what are the 5 different estrous cycle phases

1. proestrus

2. estrus

3. metestrus

4. diestrus

5. anestrus

what is proestrus

the period of time in which females begin to show signs of sexual interst

what is estrus

the period of time in which a female will allow mating

what is metestrus

• the period of time immediately after estrus

• sexual interest is decreasing

• won’t allow mating

what is diestrus

the period of time between metestrus and the beginning of the next proestrus

what is anestrus

period of time (seasonally) when females are not cycling at all

which animals do not experience anestrus

cows and sows

what are 3 important female characteristics for sucessful mating

1. attractiveness

2. proceptivity

3. receptivity

what is attractiveness

• the extent to which a female evokes sexual responses from males

  • includes odor + visiual cues

what is proceptivity

the extent of the females inviting behavior

what is receptivity

the willingness of a female to accept male courtship

how do males effect estrous cycles

they facilitate the onset of estrus in many domestic species

what is the ram effect

• in sheep

• ewes ovulate sooner after a male is introduced into the flock

what is the male effect on cattle

improved nursing in beef cattle by putting the body’s energy into milk production (which in turn suppresses the estrous cycle)

what are 3 types of estrus

1. overt estrus

2. silent estrus

3. sub-estrus

what is overt estrus

obvious disturbances in the usual behavior routines

what are 3 examples of overt estrus

• reduced feed intake

• decreased resting periods

• increased vocalization

what is silent estrus

changes in behavior that are almost undetectabe

which animals typically undergo silent estrus

• cows

• sows

• mares

what is sub-estrus

subtly and low intensity behavior changes due to estrous cycle

what are 3 behavioral signs of sexual receptivity

1. willingness to stand immobile

2. seeking (soliciting) behaviors

3. female-female mounting

what are 3 ways females control mate selection

1. they avoid young + unexperienced males

2. may reject overly vigorous courting behavior

3. a lack of socialization with mate can reduce sexual behavior

what are the 3 stages of parturition

1. pre-partum behavior

2. birthing

3. post-partum behavior

what is parturition

the act of giving birth

what are 3 pre-partum behaviors

1. dilation of the cervix

2. separation from the herd

   1. ~1-2 hours prior (in ruminants)

3. nest building

   1. time prior depends on availability of materials

what animal is an exception to the pre-partum behavior rules

merino ewes

why are marino ewes exceptions to the pre-partum behavior rules

they like staying with the flock during pre-partum and partruition

what are 2 advantages of isolation birthing

1. reduced risk of interference by other conspecifics

2. promotes bonding of newborn with mother

what are 4 characteristics of sows in farrowing crates

• increased restlesness

• increased respiratory rate

• more grunting

• phantom nest building

what are 4 pre-partum behaviors in cows and mares

• tail swishing

• looking at sides

• pawing at the ground

• interest in other’s young

  • “mis-mothering”

what is the most common time of parturition

at night

what influences time of birth

• when the animal is fed

  • if fed during day → birth during night

  • if fed at night → birth during day

what are 2 steps leading to parturition

1. rupture of chorio-alantosis (outer fetal membrane)

2. bulging of amniotic sac into vaginal canal

how many babies to dogs, cats, and pigs produce

litters

how many babies to cows and mares produce

singles

how long are the resting periods in between contractions

~ 2 minutes

when does parturition progress quickly

after the passage of the fetus’s head and shoulders

what are the 3 different positions of parturition in females

1. lateral recumbency

2. standing

   1. gravity helps w birth but hard drop for the baby

3. crouching

how do cows without complications act when birthing

remain recumbent throughout the birthing process

how do cows with complications act when birthing

they stand up and act restless

when is parturition complete

when the umbilical cord breaks

about how long does parturition take for cows

1 hour

about how long does parturition take for mares

10-70 mins

about how long does parturition take for sows

1 piglet/15 minutes

about how long does parturition take for dogs

1 puppy/ 20-30 minutes

about how long does parturition take for cats

1 kitten/ 30-45 minutes

what is dystocia

difficult birth or a labor obstruction

how are hormones involved in parturition

• distension of the uterus and vagina leads to an oxytocin release

• oxytocin initiates maternal behavior

what is systemic vs. centrally releasing hormones

• systemic: oxytocin released from bloodstream

• centrally: oxytocin released from the brain

what are 4 post-partum behaviors

1. expulsion of the placenta

2. grooming of the neonate

   1. head→ toe to clear airways

3. decision to stay or go from birthing site to avoid predators

4. eating placenta (cows)

what does it mean if an animal placentophagic

they eat their placenta (possibly to remove the scent of their offspring and protect from predators)

what animal is an exception to these post-partum behaviors and why

• sows

  • they rarely groom their young

  • nervous sows may become cannibalistic

what are 4 reasons for grooming offspring right after birth

• removes amniotic fluid

• reduces heat loss

• imparts pheromone identification through saliva

• draws neonate’s attention to its mother

why do vocalizations occur between mother and neonate while grooming

to increase their bond

what is the relationship between time spent licking calf and hours postpartum

slowly decreases over time because there is a decreased maternal attraction to it’s calf’s amiotic fluid

what should good mothers do

assist in the teat-seeking of the newborn

what happens in poorly-socialized or inexperienced heifers

they may kick, butt, or turn towards the newborn

when should the separation of the newborn and mother be avoided

within the first hour of life

what is the maternal bond important for in the future

maintenance of maternal motivations

how do ewes take in a foster lamb

• by masking the orphan’s scent with the odor of the mother’s amniotic fluid or skin or deceased offspring

• restraining ewe during nursing attempts

why do some animals conceal or hide their newborns

to allow further necessary developments of the newborn

how does social heirarchy affect lactation quantity and quality

lower ranked animals don’t get as much access to good and plentiful feed as more dominant animals do

what is colostrum

• the first lactation of the mother that has a high concentration of antibiotics

• is necesarry 4-12 hours after the offspring is born

what are 4 functions and benefits of colostrum

• gut health

• immune protection

• nutritional support

• natural laxative

what is libido

the motivation (or drive) of sexual behavior

what is the serving capacity

the number of ejaculations in a given time period

what are 2 ways to examine mating efficiency

1. the total number of females impregnated during a breeding period

2. # of mounts per ejaculation

whats the ideal mating efficiency in males

those w the largest number of impregnations in the shortest period of time and the lowest number of mounts and ejaculations

what is the ideal mating efficiency in male cattle

when conception is obtained after 2 mounts or copulations

what are 2 ways libido is measured

1. measure the time spent near females

2. measure the time engaged in pre-mating behavior (like flehmen response) and mounting

how has AI affected the sexual performance of males

focusing on certain traits can cause a lower libido

what is heritability

• the measure of the amount of variation that can be passed from parent to offspring

  • 0-1 score: scores closer to 1 being more likely to pass on to the next generation

what is the sexual performance heritability score of beef bulls

0.59

what is the sexual performance heritability score of rams

0.22

what is the libido heritability score of boars

0.16

what are 3 reasons isolation of males from mates occur

• to prevent injuries

• to prevent unwanted pregnancies

• to ensure proper nutrition

in what species are all male rearing groups ok for

• bulls

• boars

in what species are all male rearing groups not ok for and why

rams because eye contact leads to fighting

what is an advantage of social dominance in sexual behavior

dominant males can inhibit the sexual activities of subordinants just by their presence

outline Blockley’s 1979 study

• they compared the reproductive successes of mixed-age and same-age bull groups

• mixed group results:

  • the subordinate males were interrupted 87% of time

• same group results

  • subordinate males were interrupte 20% of the time

• dominant males spent more energy interrupting subordinates than conceiving themselves

what is the recovery period

the period in which breeding males temporarily decrease in libido after each ejaculation

what is hand-mating

when males and females are brought together solely for the purpose of mating

when is hand-mating very time consuming

if libido is low

what was the aim of mader & price’s 1984 study

• to examine how sensory cues or social facilitation affects sexual behavior in bulls

  • 87% completed copulation in spectators

  • mild improvement in performance for watched and restrained groups

what is the spectator effect

• bulls are attracted to females who engage in female-female mounting behaviors

• in goats

  • not sheep bc eye contact = aggression

what are 2 ways in which female pheromones are recieved by males

1. flehmen response (flipping upper lip to expose the vmo so it can recieve these pheromones)

2. visual cues allow males to see the female cliteral wink

   1. also when females are immobile when approached by a male

what is a behavior that young males express prior to puberty

• mounting

  • mounting causes stimulation of the penis

  • learned by playing

what is sensory stimulation of the genetailia important for

maintenance of libido

what happens when a male is castrated (4)

• reduced libido

• decrease/elimination of ejaculatory reflex

• unable to perform sex (DOGS)

• loss of interest in females (CATS)

what 2 things does the effects of male castration depend on

• species

• age at time of castration

do male animals show preferance

yes

what is the debate about male-male mounting

its either a sign of dominance or sexual libido or just general stimulation

what are buller steers

those being mounted who attempt avoidance behaviors

what is a rider steer

those doing the mounting who stop when the buller is removed