Maternal Behaviour

Question 1

What is maternal behaviour?

Answer 1

• All behaviours directed towards nurturing the offspring, providing care, maximizing survival
• A form of altruism because time, energy, and survival leads to a greater fitness of the species as a whole

Question 2

Paternal behaviour

Answer 2

Male taking care of young

Mammals: rare

Monogamous biparental species (typically birds): male can do everything that a female can do except lactate

Question 3

Elements of maternal behaviour

Answer 3

1. Before birth
2. At birth
3. After birth

Question 4

Before birth behaviour

Answer 4

• Birth location
• Increased activity
• Separation from herd

Question 5

At birth behaviour

Answer 5

• Grooming/bond
• Hiding newborn
• Nursing

Question 6

After birth behaviour

Answer 6

• Strengthen maternal bond
• Communication- vocalizations
• Lactation

Question 7

Function of Preparturient behaviour (before birth)

Answer 7

Function is to find and prepare a birth site. Includes:

• Protect neonates from harsh environment
• Protect and hide from predators
• Isolate young from conspecifics to improve parental bond (if within a herd, connection may not form)

Question 8

Amount of before birth preparation

Answer 8

Depends on species movement: if young will spend a lot of time in nest, then mother will put more work into it. But animals like horses and cows don’t need this as the young gets up and walks away quickly

Minimal/secluded area: bovine, equine

Make a depression: feline, ovine

Gather material for nest: poultry, dogs, birds, rodents, swine

Question 9

Birth

Answer 9

• Predicting time of parturition is not easy
• It is an advantage for a species to not advertise the time of parturition
• Technology being developed and commercially available
• Some species have a general time such as horses which is often at night time

Question 10

Birth detection devices

Answer 10

• Velphone- placed in vagina and detects temperature
• Accelerometers- quantifies position of tail
• Monitors- detect nesting, food intake

Question 11

Importance of Maternal Recognition

Answer 11

• To provide the adequate care and protection
• Avoid spending resources in other mother’s young

**Typically takes place in the time before young specifics are able to mix

Question 12

Requirements for maternal recognition

Answer 12

1. Distinctive information- capacity to distinguish some unique features from the newborn
2. Memory- capacity to compare sensory information against some memory or template that indicates recognition

**Inappropriate maternal behaviours are often caused by an improper offspring recognition

Question 13

Elements that can shape maternal behaviours

Answer 13

1. external: environmental factors, surroundings
2. internal: previous experience, hormones, genetics

Question 14

How experience effects maternal behaviour?

Answer 14

Inexperienced mothers are not as competent as experienced ones:
- More fearful of offspring
- Bonding and attachment slower
- More reliant on sensory cues from the calf
- More disturbed/distracted by the behaviour of others and the environment

Question 15

Perinatal stress

Answer 15

The environment that the mother is in leading up to birth can interfere with proper hormonal cascade and maternal bonding
- Predisposes offspring to different gene expression (epigenetics), causes changes and results in the next generation being poor mothers

Question 16

Major hormone at birth

Answer 16

Oxytocin
- Peaks at birth, uterine contractions, milk let down
- There are also other hormones and circumstances involved/needed for birth and maternal behaviour

Question 17

Hormonal factors: before birth

Answer 17

Pregnant females find amniotic fluids repulsive and will avoid newborn calves

Question 18

Hormonal factors: after birth

Answer 18

They are attracted to fluids and their newborn calves and will lick them vigorously

Question 19

Factors interfering with maternal behaviour

Answer 19

1. Wrong hormonal profile
   - Lack of cervical stimulation (C-section)
   - Drugs or hormones that interfere with oxytocin release (from C-section, stress hormones)
2. Interference from other females, predators, or humans
3. Birthing fatigue and weak offspring
4. Body condition score (thinner cows, poorer mothers)- mother not able to produce needs for offspring such as closterum

Question 20

Intervention strategies to improve maternal behaviour

Answer 20

1. Leave females undisturbed during parturition, minimize assistance
2. Taste of birth fluids: smear onto nose and tongue, encourage females to lick young, transfer characteristics of dam’s offspring to alien young (odour transfer, skin graft)
3. Milk letdown- milk cow quickly after birthing, will trigger oxytocin and other hormones that can increase maternal behaviour
4. Reduce initial rejection (cow kicking and pushing calf away) and gain acceptance over time (physical restraint, tranquilizers)