Olfactory behavioural responses in captive male southern hairy-nosed wombats (Lasiorhinus latifrons) exposed to oestrous and non-oestrous urine samples
Alyce M. Swinbourne A C D , Stephen D. Johnston A , Tina Janssen B , Allan Lisle A , Tamara Keeley A and Clive J. C. Phillips C
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Wildlife Science Unit, School of Agriculture and Food Science, The University of Queensland, Gatton, Qld 4343, Australia.
B Australian Animals Care and Education, Mt Larcom, Qld 4695, Australia.
C Centre of Animal Welfare and Ethics, School of Veterinary Science, The University of Queensland, Gatton, Qld 4343, Australia.
D Corresponding author. Email: a.swinbourne@uq.edu.au
Australian Journal of Zoology 64(6) 395-401 https://doi.org/10.1071/ZO16088
Submitted: 9 May 2016 Accepted: 10 March 2017 Published: 5 April 2017
Abstract
Whilst flehmen behaviour has been observed in some marsupials, including the southern hairy-nosed wombat (Lasiorhinus latifrons), it is unknown whether it, or other male-specific behaviours are exhibited differentially in response to the detection of oestrous females, which if proven, could assist in the detection of oestrus in breeding programs for captive southern hairy-nosed wombats. Six captive male southern hairy-nosed wombats were exposed to urine samples collected from a single female that was confirmed to be in oestrus and mid-pregnancy. Urine samples were presented to the males simultaneously and subsequent behaviours recorded for five minutes. There were no significant differences in the number of times flehmen behaviour was displayed in response to oestrous and non-oestrous urine samples (P = 0.577), the number of times the male sniffed each sample (P = 0.595), or the time spent investigating each urine sample (P = 0.414). Our results suggest that neither male flehmen behaviour nor any specific male-related precopulatory behaviour was associated with the olfaction of urine from a female in different stages of the oestrous cycle, and is thus unlikely to be a reliable management tool for the detection of oestrus.
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