Red Foxes

Red foxes, (Vulpes vulpes) are one of the largest and most abundant true foxes in the fox species. During their mating period foxes are usually monogamous but males breeding with several females are known to occur. Females that mate with the same males may also share a den. However, although a female may be mated by several males, she will partner with one male.

Mating pairs will spend increasing amounts of time with each other and undergo playful and affectionate fighting with one another. A majority of time is spent in close contact with one another during season. Hunting is still solitary but partners will maintain vocal communication through the range.

Mating season varies with geographic location. A vixen’s oestrous period ranges from 1-6 days with copulation lasting 15-20 minutes with vocal clamour. A vixen will stay in the den close to and after giving birth to her pups.  Gestation lasts from 51-53 days with a litter size of 1-13 pups, averaging at 5. During this time, the male will provide food for his vixen but will not enter the maternity den. Pups leave the den 4 or 5 weeks after birth and are fully weaned by 8 to 10 weeks. Mother and pups remain together until the autumn after the birth. Sexual maturity is reached by 10 months.

Photos: Roeselien Raimond

  References

Cavallini, P. 1996, "Ranging behaviour of red foxes during the mating and breeding seasons", Ethology Ecology & Evolution,vol. 8, no. 1, pp. 57-65.

Coastal (Eastern) Carpet Snake

The other day my little Coastal Carpet Python named Aoda passed away. So in recognition of his passing I’ll be blogging about the mating behaviours of his kind, Morelia spilota (mcdowelli).

The Coastal Carpet Python is one of the most common and widely distributed species of snake in Australia who are often mistaken for Diamond pythons. Interesting Fact! Those two species are known to interbreed which is unheard of in most other species of reptiles. During the mating season, the male pythons tend move relatively little and aggregate around reproductively active females, however only staying with the females briefly. The males also tend to engage in male-male combat in the vicinity of females. This combat included vigorous biting and ritualistic “wrestling” matches.

These mating aggregations lasted around 4-6 weeks. After mating the females would lay a clutch of up to 30 eggs, to which she would coil around to incubate them. Unlike other snake species she will care for her eggs and defend them violently. While she has coiled around them she will shiver to keep a stable temperature. Approximately after 50 days her babies will begin to hatch. At this point her maternal duties are completed, she goes off to feed and her hatchlings are left to disperse freely, fending for themselves.

Photos taken of Aoda by my neighbour Sophie Kirkham

Reference

Shine, R. & Fitzgerald, M. 1995, "Variation in Mating Systems and Sexual Size Dimorphism between Populations of the Australian Python Morelia spilota (Serpentes: Pythonidae)", Oecologia, vol 103, no. 4, pp.490-498.

I've always been interested in everything animal related and the behaviours they display. It is also particularly interesting the different mating behaviours they display. Mating behaviour is typically viewed as being all events from pair formation through to copulation and final mating pair breakup. Sexual selection is generally greater on males than females and is in the context of competition for more or the best mates. In order to maximise chances animals have developed many different sexual dimorphisms, like vibrant peacock tails to complex genitalia.

Not only have animals developed these physical aspects to increase success rate, they also have developed different behavioural adaptations. An example of this is the amazing dance moves of the Manakin bird, or the life breeding partners that wolves establish. In the animal kingdom there are endless different behaviours that both the males and females uptake in order to successfully find a suitable mate and therefore past their genes into the next generation.

References

Nicholson, C. 2008, "Behaviour Mating games", Nature Reviews Neuroscience, vol. 9, no. 2, pp. 80-81.

Mating Behaviors 2009, , Elsevier Science & Technology. Hardy, I.C.W., Ode, P.J. & Siva-Jothy, M.

2005, "Mating Behaviour" in Springer Netherlands, Dordrecht, pp. 219-260.

Images

http://britton.disted.camosun.bc.ca/fractals/white-and-blue-peacock.jpg

http://data2.whicdn.com/images/24927801/large.jpg