Elsevier

Animal Behaviour

Volume 22, Issue 3, August 1974, Pages 601-610
Animal Behaviour

Copulatory behaviour of white-throated wood rats (Neotoma albigula) and golden mice (Ochrotomys nuttalli)

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Abstract

Seven pairs of white-throated wood rats and nine pairs of golden mice received forty-two and fifty-six satiety tests of copulatory behaviour respectively. Both species have a copulatory pattern with a lock, no intra-vaginal thrusting, ejaculation on a single insertion, and multiple ejaculations. In both species copulation is initiated rapidly. Wood rats displayed a mean of 6·2 locks with a mean duration of 30·1 s and separated by 313·6 s. Golden mice displayed a mean of 3·2 locks with a mean duration of 72·2 s and separated by 473·4 s. These data were compared with those of other species. Among simple-baculum muroid rodents, species that lock appear to have glands that are relatively thicker than those of species that do not lock. The locking species also appear to show a reduction in the complement of certain accessory reproductive glands compared with non-locking species.

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