T of L: Continuing the Line

Question 1

For blue-headed wrasse:
1. What is their sexual biology?
2. Who guards eggs?
3. What happens when male dies?

Answer 1

1. They are biologically bisexual.
2. Males guard eggs that females deposit in their spawning site.
3. The largest female will convert to male within ~2 weeks and claim the spawning site.

Question 2

For Madagascar tortoise:
1. What initiates courtship?
2. What do males do to unreceptive females?
3. Which male does she choose?

Answer 2

1. Females release a perfume but don’t always take the first male to come along.
2. Males try to bully her with his lower-shell horn.
3. Rival males duke it out and win when they flip their opponent; she usually chooses the “winner” of this contest.

Question 3

For elephants:
1. What is musth, and when does it take place?
2. What is the Flehman response comparable to, and what is it in reaction to?
3. How often are females in estrous?
4. How long does female remain receptive, and what system of mating is this?

Answer 3

1. When males are ready to mate (at about 4 years old, and every 3 months) accompanied by high testosterone, secretion of a gland located between eyes and ears, dripping genitals (ugh) and aggression.
2. “Stinky face” (like cats) in reaction to the smell and taste (!!!) of receptive female’s urine.
3. Every 4 years
4. Female remains receptive even after mating and will continue mating with a bigger / badder bull making them polygynandrous.

Question 4

For wolves:
1. How do males “mate guard”?

Answer 4

1. Use threats to maintain alpha status. When mating, their genitals become engorged to the point of being unable to decouple long enough for sperm to fertilize eggs. .

Question 5

For bluegill sunfish:
1. What morphs exists?
2. How do males entice females?
3. How much of the eggs does he fertilize?

Answer 5

1. Three: large, sneaker satellites, and female mimics.
2. With nest and paternal care.
3. Up to 2/3 of the eggs might be another males.

Question 6

For jacana (lily trotter):
1. What bird are they similar to in terms of mating system?
2. Who has the highest parental investment?
3. Who is larger and more territorial?
4. If a female dies, what happens to the male and eggs?

Answer 6

1. sandpipers (polyandrous sp. with monogamous males).
2. males
3. Females
4. Rival females will destroy eggs (infanticide) to get males to mate with and watch her eggs and gain more males in harem.