Group copulation solicitation display among female Greater Rheas
In this paper we report the copulation behavior of the Greater Rhea (Rhea americana), a species in which males defend a harem of females. We describe the females' behavior during 14 copulation events observed from 1995-1997 at Buenos Aires province, Argentina. During copulations, females perfor...
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| Autores principales: | , |
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| Formato: | JOUR |
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| Acceso en línea: | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12110/paper_00435643_v115_n4_p467_Fernandez |
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| Sumario: | In this paper we report the copulation behavior of the Greater Rhea (Rhea americana), a species in which males defend a harem of females. We describe the females' behavior during 14 copulation events observed from 1995-1997 at Buenos Aires province, Argentina. During copulations, females performed a more active role than previously suggested. Moreover, on three occasions we observed that harem females performed a complex copulation solicitation display, forming a closed circle to attract the male. We hypothesize that this display could be a reliable signal to the male of the tendency of females to be inseminated and lay eggs communally. |
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