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Sexual Behaviour

Sexual behaviour is extremely varied across different types of animals.

Animals perform many different types of sexual behaviour. Whether it’s for mating, reproducing, or for sexual pleasure, every individual has its own instinctive drive. Amongst these types of behaviour, depending on the species, examples include:

  • Monogamy
  • Polygamy - polygyny, polyandry, polygynandry
  • Promiscuity
  • Opportunistic behaviour
  • Intra-sexual behaviour (males fight for dominance over a large group of females)
  • Inter-sexual behaviour (where the male competes to be chosen by females through courtship displays)
  • Masturbation
  • Genital-genital rubbing
  • Sexual stimulation through objects
  • Homosexual behaviour
  • Heterosexual behaviour
  • Bisexual behaviour
  • Sexual coercion (forceful sex)
  • Sexual necrophilia (copulation with dead animals)


Reproduction

Reproduction involves the creation of descendants through natural biological processes. Depending on each species, animals can reproduce sexually or asexually. It involves finding a potential mate, courtship rituals, mating, preparing for the birth and caring for the young - topics that have been covered in other chapters of this book.

Reproductive behaviour is an innate behaviour driven by hormones that become active once the animal has reached sexual maturity. Testosterone which is produced in the testes of the male is responsible not only for sperm production but also for sexual libido and the aggression that may be needed to establish a territory or fight off rival males. Oestrogen produced in the ovaries of the female drives physical changes, such as the reddening and swelling of the vulva in pigs, as well as behavioural changes, such as calling in female cats and foxes. Oestrogen also stimulates the typical stances adopted by female animals when they are ready to mate.


Females release chemicals called pheromones when they are in season which the males can detect - sometimes over great distances. Pheromones cause a shift in the endocrine system of the animal detecting them. Many mammals, including rats and mice, release pheromones that cause sexual behaviour in the other sex. When at peak fertility, females release a scent that attracts a male and causes him to become aroused. He will exhibit mounting behaviour on the female, who is also exhibiting lordosis. The pheromones are sensed by the vomeronasal organ (VNO) in the brain. The response to pheromones is another example of an animal’s innate reproductive behaviour.

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