Reactions of female cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) to urine volatiles from males of varying genetic distance

Abstract

Understanding the factors used by female cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) to make mate choice decisions could benefit zoo breeding programs, which currently assign mates based primarily on genetic distance. Because transporting animals between institutions is costly and can be stressful, females are often limited in the number of males available for mating. One solution would be to determine if an easily transported substance could be used to gauge interest by a female to a potential mate. Here, we investigate female interest in urine samples from males of different genetic distances. Twelve females at five institutions were offered scents from 17 males of varying genetic relatedness in a pair-wise choice paradigm. Behavioral responses of the females were recorded to determine preference. Results showed that females spent more time sniffing and in proximity to scents from the most distantly related males, but female response was not influenced by male urine testosterone concentration, female parity, age, or estrous cycling. Further research will be necessary to determine whether a female's interest in male urine translates to mate preference and acceptance before this technique can be applied to zoo breeding programs.

Mate choice screening in captive solitary carnivores: The role of male behavior and cues on mate preference and paternity in females of a model species, American mink (Neovison vison)

“…The females in our study spend 168 ± 97 (mean ± SD) seconds sniffing to both samples on the first day of the trial, which is only 14% of the time available. This is in line with other studies of solitary carnivores (Berzins & Helder, ; Mossotti, ). These results combined suggest that even shorter presentations of males’ urine and feces might be sufficient to measure a female preference.…”

“…Our results are supported to some extent by a study on another mustelid species, the domesticated ferret (Cloe, Woodley, Waters, Zhou, & Baum, ), which showed that a combination of volatile body odors, including anal scent gland secretions and urinary odors underlie olfactory sex discrimination and partner preference. Time spent sniffing is a common measure of preference in similar studies on cheetahs (Mossotti, ), rodents (Roberts, Davidson, Beynon, & Hurst, ), and primates (Fisher et al, ). Furthermore, approaching and proximity to odors have also been used as a measure of preference in studies of ferrets (Berzins & Helder, ; Cloe et al, ).…”

“…Females exhibiting polyandry may, however, still perform mate choices in order to secure the largest genetic benefits. Other studies have shown that females with polyandry can be choosy, for example, females of the meadow vole ( Microtus pennsylvanicus ) (Berteaux, Bêty, Rengifo, & Bergeron, ), the Malagasy carnivore the fossa ( Cryptoprocta ferox ) (Hawkins & Racey, ) and the cheetah (Mossotti, ). Female behavior and physiology of the American mink suggests mate choosiness (Thom et al, ).…”

Improving the sustainability of ex situ populations with mate choice

“…Common scent preference protocols for (a) rodents in a dichotomous choice test using perforated tubing with soiled bedding inside (Zhang, Liang, Guo, & Zhang, ), (b) carnivores in a dichotomous choice test utilizing perforated tubing with gauze soaked in collected urine (Mossotti, Baskir, Kozlowski, Feldhamer, & Asa, ), and (c) carnivores with a multi‐scent presentation apparatus to identify cancerous cells which could easily be modified for mate preference (Pinc, Bartoš, Reslova, & Kotrba, ; Rothman, ).…”

“…However, this protocol presents a challenge for institutions that lack facilities to house and manage a large number of males to serve as the breeding pool. Mossotti et al () presented male urine samples to female cheetahs (Figure a) and found that females approached and interacted with samples and tended to prefer those of males that were most genetically distant. To make this approach applicable to SSP® programs, the next step will be to determine whether the preferred urine sample predicts which male will be accepted for mating.…”