| From June 2006 to November 2007 at Taishan Amur Tiger Park,with all-occurrence recording,focal-animal sampling and behavior sampling methods,we chose 7 semi-free-ranging Amur tigers(4 males,3 females)to investigate activity rhythm and copulation during rutting period and anestrous season,and mensurated fecal E2 concentrations in female tiger and T concentrations in male tiger during the two periods with radioimmunoassay method.The first intention of this article was to know the difference of fecal gonadal hormone concentration between rutting period and anestrous season and the relations between rutting,copulation behaviors and gonadal hormone concentration in Amur tiger.The second intention was to know the mating behaviors of Amur tiger which was under no disturbance from human being.We observed all kinds of behaviors for 15749 times in the whole 125 days,totaled 1076 hours.The main results are as follows:1 During anestrous season,male and female Amur tiger spent most time in resting,more time in moving,and less time in eating and other behaviors;and eating time(P＜0.05)was significant different and time in other behaviors was similar between male and female Amur tiger.During rutting period,male Amur tiger spent most time in resting and moving,more time in rutting,copulating and other behaviors;and spent less resting time(P＜0.05)and more other behaviors time(P＜0.01)than those in anestrous season.During rutting period,female Amur tiger spent most time in moving and resting,more time in rutting,copulating and other behaviors;and the time budget of all behaviors during rutting period and anestrous season are similar(P＞0.05). The time budget of male and female Amur tiger were similar during rutting periods(P＞0.05).2 The peak of resting was recorded at 11:00-13:00;sleeping at 13:00-15:00,moving at 11:00-13:00 and behind 15:00;and other behaviors had no peaks of male Amur tiger during anestrous season.The peak of resting was recorded at 9:00-11:00 and behind 15:00;sleeping at 11:00-15:00,moving at 9:00-11:00 and behind 15:00;and other behaviors had no peaks of female Amur tiger during anestrous season.During rutting periods,activity rhythms of male and female Amur tiger were similar,and the peak of resting was recorded at 11:00-14:00; sleeping at 12:00-13:00,moving at 9:00-10:00 and behind 15:00;and many rutting and copulating behaviors which included sniffing,wallow,chinesisch and frequent urinating were recorded.Eating behaviors of Amur tiger only occurred from 17:00 to 18:00 because the fixed breeding pattern.3 Male and female Amur tiger had sexual solicitation,and mating activities were often initiated by female tiger which had obvious sexual solicitation behaviors and given patterns. Sometimes,although female tiger sniffed the male forwardly and had tail erection,it didn't want to mate.And male was generally refused when it tried to mount at this time. 4 During the whole mating period,every female had 28±3 sexual solicitations per day averagely with the average lasting time of 20.0±1.2 seconds,and every male mounted 14±1 times each day averagely.The average thrusting duration was 20.9±0.5 seconds,and the average mating duration was 45.2±1.3 seconds.5 There was no copulatory lock during mating,and the male usually ejaculated following a single intromission after several thrusts.The percentage of ejaculations happening again within an hour was about 74.0%.Amur tigers had a copulatory pattern with no lock,thrusting,multiple intromission,and single ejaculation,which belonged to copulatory pattern No.11 in Dewsbury's copulatory-patterned system.6 E2 concentration on female Amur tiger began to rise before the rutting period and kept the higher lever during the whole period,and declined behind mating.There were very obvious difference of E2 concentration between rutting period and anestrous season.T concentration began to rise before the rutting period,declined and kept the higher lever after mating.There was very obvious difference of T concentration between rutting period and anestrous season. |
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