Reproductive behaviour before and after oestrus and oviposition in the captive short-beaked echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus)
Kate J. Dutton-Regester
A * , Alice Roser B , Haley Meer B , Marilyn B. Renfree C , Clive Phillips D E and Stephen D. Johnston A
A School of Agriculture and Food Sciences, The University of Queensland, Gatton, Qld 4343, Australia.
B Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary, Currumbin, Qld 4223, Australia.
C School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Vic. 3010, Australia.
D Estonia University of Life Sciences, Institute of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, Tartu, Estonia.
E Curtin University Sustainability Policy Institute, Perth, WA, Australia.
Reproduction, Fertility and Development 34(14) 920-932 https://doi.org/10.1071/RD22092
Published online: 16 August 2022
© 2022 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND)
Abstract
Context: Most of our current knowledge regarding echidna reproductive behaviour is based on qualitative measurements; therefore, it is unclear if specific behavioural cues could be utilised in their captive reproductive management.
Aims: This study aimed to identify quantitative changes in general and reproductive behaviour of echidna breeding pairs and pregnant females that might facilitate the detection of oestrus and impending oviposition and provide a summary of reproductive behaviour observed in a captive colony over a three-year observation period.
Methods: Three echidna breeding pairs and two trios were were monitored daily for seven reproductive and eight general behaviours during the 2020 breeding season. After confirmed copulation, females were monitored for four egg-laying and eight general behaviours until egg incubation. General observations of reproductive behaviours during the 2018–2020 breeding seasons were recorded as part of routine husbandry.
Key results: For breeding pairs, there was a significant rate of change over time before and after copulation for the behaviours ‘urogenital sniffing’, ‘rolling’ and ‘copulation attempt’. For pregnant females, time engaged in ‘pacing’ significantly increased while ‘time eating’ and the ‘qauntity of food eaten’ significanlty decreased on the day of oviposition. We were not able to identify oestrus from specific behaviours, but our observations suggest that the female echidna’s period of receptivity is less than 24 h.
Conclusions: The frequency that males express ‘urogenital sniffing’, ‘rolling’ and ‘copulation attempt’ toward the female can be used to alert zookeepers that copulation has likely occurred. Increased pacing, reduced feeding time and quantity of food eaten can aid zookeepers to identify impending oviposition.
Implications: This study demonstrates that there are quantifiable changes in specific echidna behaviours that can be incorporated into zoo husbandry practices to improve the reproductive management of this species.
Keywords: captive breeding, captive management, egg laying behaviour, oestrus detection, oviposition behaviour, reproductive behaviour, short-beaked echidna, Tachyglossidae.
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