Premium
Male‐Female Interactions in Hairy‐footed Gerbils (Genus Gerbillurus )
Author(s) -
Dempster Edith R.,
Perrin M. R.
Publication year - 1989
Publication title -
ethology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.739
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1439-0310
pISSN - 0179-1613
DOI - 10.1111/j.1439-0310.1989.tb00540.x
Subject(s) - gerbil , agonistic behaviour , adult male , biology , zoology , genus , psychology , endocrinology , developmental psychology , medicine , aggression , ischemia
Staged 10‐min encounters between male and female gerbils of the same species were characterized by high levels of exploratory and solitary behaviour, variable levels of agonistic behaviour, and little contact‐promoting behaviour. Female Gerbillurus paeba paeba, G. p. exilis and G. tytonis dominated males of these species, while male and female G. setzeri and G. vallinus were equally aggressive. Results of this study indicate that G. p. paeba, G. p. exilis and G. tytonis are aggressively solitary and that females behave aggressively towards unfamiliar males, while G. setzeri and G. vallinus are more tolerant. This is in partial agreement with findings for other gerbil species.