Africal elephant - Animal Six

Mating behavior

Male in Musth

Male in Musth

Musth


Adult males enter a state of increased testosterone known as musth. In a population in southern India, males first enter musth at the age of 15, but it is not very intense until they are older than 25. At Amboseli, male under 24 do not go into musth, while half of those aged 25–35 and all those over 35 do. Young male appear to enter musth during the dry season (January–May), while older males go through it during the wet season (June–December). The main characteristic of a male's musth is a fluid secreted from the temporal gland that runs down the side of his face. He may urinate with his penis still in his sheath, which causes the urine to spray on his hind legs. Behaviors associated with musth include walking with the head held high and swinging, picking at the ground with the tusks, marking, rumbling and waving only one ear at a time. This can last from a day to four months.

Males become extremely aggressive during musth. Size is the determining factor in agonistic encounters when the individuals have the same condition. In contests between musth and non-musth individuals, musth males win the majority of the time, even when the non-musth male is larger. A male may stop showing signs of musth when he encounters a musth male of higher rank. Those of equal rank tend to avoid each other. Agnostic encounters typically consist of threat displays, chases, and minor sparring with the tusks. Serious fights are rare.

Female Organs

Male Organs

Mating

Elephants are polygynous breeders, and copulation are most frequent during the peak of the wet season.A female in estrous releases chemical signals (pheromones) in her urine and vaginal secretions to signal her readiness to mate. A male will follow a potential mate and assess her condition with the flehmen response, which requires the male to collect a chemical sample with his trunk and bring it to the vomeronasal organ.The oestrous cycle of a female lasts 14–16 weeks with a 4–6-week follicular phase and an 8- to 10-week luteal phase. While most mammals have one surge of luteinizing hormone during the follicular phase, elephants have two. The first (or anovulatory) surge, could signal to males that the female is in oestrus by changing her scent, but ovulation does not occur until the second (or ovulatory) surge.Fertility rates in females decline around 45–50 years of age.

males engage in a behaviour known as mate-guarding, where they follow oestrous females and defend them from other males. Most mate-guarding is done by musth males, and females actively seek to be guarded by them, particularly older ones.Thus these males have more reproductive success. Musth appears to signal to females the condition of the male, as weak or injured males do not have normal musths.For young females, the approach of an older male can be intimidating, so her relatives stay nearby to provide support and reassurance. During copulation, the male lays his trunk over the female's back. The penis is very mobile, being able to move independently of the pelvis. Prior to mounting, it curves forward and upward. Copulation lasts about 45 seconds and does not involve pelvic thrusting or ejaculatory pause. Elephant sperm must swim close to 2 m (6.6 ft) to reach the egg. By comparison, human sperm has to swim around only 76.2 mm (3.00 in).

Homosexual behavior is frequent in both sexes. As in heterosexual interactions, this involves mounting. Male elephants sometimes stimulate each other by play fighting and "championships" may form between old males and younger males. Female same-sex behaviors have been documented only in captivity where they are known to masturbate one another with their trunks.

Elephant Mating Position
Male Elephant Organ

Female Elephant Organ

Elephant Mating Video

Polar Bear - Animal Six

Polar Bear Couple

Polar Bear Anatomy

Polar Bear Reproduction

Courtship and mating take place on the sea ice in April and May, when polar bears congregate in the best seal hunting areas. A male may follow the tracks of a breeding female for 100 km (60 mi) or more, and after finding her engage in intense fighting with other males over mating rights, fights that often result in scars and broken teeth. Polar bears have a generally polygynous mating system; recent genetic testing of mothers and cubs, however, has uncovered cases of litters in which cubs have different fathers. Partners stay together and mate repeatedly for an entire week; the mating ritual induces ovulation in the female.
After mating, the fertilized egg remains in a suspended state until August or September. During these four months, the pregnant female eats prodigious amounts of food, gaining at least 200 kg (440 lb) and often more than doubling her body weight.

Leopards -Animal Six

Leopard Mating Behavior

Depending on the region, leopards may mate all year round. In Manchuria and Siberia, they mate during January and February. The estrous cycle lasts about 46 days and the female usually is in heat for 6–7 days.Gestation lasts for 90 to 105 days. Cubs are usually born in a litter of 2–4 cubs.Mortality of cubs is estimated at 41–50% during the first year.

Leopard Couple

Snow Leopard Couple


Mating Snow Leopard Videos



Kangaroo - Animal Six

Kangaroo Couple
Male Kangaroo

Kangaroo Mating Behavior 

Mating activity of kangaroos consists of consort pairs. Oestrous females roam widely and attract the attention of males with conspicuous signals. A male will monitor a female and follow her every movement. He sniffs her urine to see if she is in oestrus, a process exhibiting the flehmen response. The male will then proceed to approach her slowly to avoid alarming her. If the female does not run away, the male will continue by licking, pawing, and scratching her, and copulation will follow. After copulation is over, the male will move on to another female. Consort pairing may take several days and the copulation is also long. Thus, a consort pair is likely to attract the attention of a rival male. As larger males are tending bonds with females near oestrus, smaller males will tend to females that are farther from oestrus. Dominant males can avoid having to sort through females to determine their reproductive status by searching for tending bonds held by the largest male they can displace without a fight.


Kangaroos Fight For A Mate


Kangaroos Mating

Elephants - Animal Six

Elephant semen (Sperm) collection

  

Research project on male elephant reproduction/contraception, Shamwari Game Reserve, South Africa


The implications of collecting semen from elephants for use in artificial insemination programs are profound in the context of propagating captive elephants. Using a manual manipulation technique, semen was collected and characterized from five adult Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) and ejaculate fluid was obtained from one castrated elephant bull. The penis was stimulated to protrusion and erection by rectal massage of the pelvic portion of the urethra. During an ejaculatory response, massage was also directed onto the area of the ampulla of the ductus deferens. Sperm rich ejaculates were usually collected as a result of each ejaculatory contraction. Ejaculates were evaluated for spermatozoal concentration and pH (when possible) and sperm rich fractions combined for determination of total volume. Mean total volume of each collection was 27.5+/-4.4 ml. Mean concentration of the first and second ejaculatory responses from a collection was 2.05+/-0.17 x 10(9) and 1.34+/-0.19 x 10(9) sperm/ml, respectively. Measurement of seminal pH revealed no significant differences between the fractions. Mean pH of the first and second ejaculatory responses were 7.05+/-0.07 and 7.04+/-0.13. This method of collecting elephant sperm can be utilized for semen evaluation of bulls of unknown reproductive status in conjunction with other evaluation techniques (i.e. ultrasonographic, endocrinologic). It also has the potential for providing valuable genetic material for genome resource banks and for use with assisted reproductive techniques like artificial insemination.

Gorilles - Animal Six

Gorilla Couple

Gorilla Reproduction

Females mature at 10–12 years (earlier in captivity), and males at 11–13 years. A female's first ovulatory cycle occurs when she is six years of age, and is followed by a two-year period of adolescent infertility. The estrous cycle lasts 30–33 days, with outward ovulation signs subtle compared to those of chimpanzees. The gestation period lasts 8.5 months. Female mountain gorillas first give birth at 10 years of age and have four-year inter-birth intervals. Males can be fertile before reaching adulthood. Gorillas mate year round.

Females will purse their lips and slowly approach a male while making eye contact. This serves to urge the male to mount her. If the male does not respond, then she will try to attract his attention by reaching towards him or slapping the ground. In multiple-male groups, solicitation indicates female preference, but females can be forced to mate with multiple males. Males incite copulation by approaching a female and displaying at her or touching her and giving a "train grunt". Recently, gorillas have been observed engaging in face-to-face sex, a trait once considered unique to humans and bonobos.

Female Gorilla Reproductive Organ (Pelvic Anatomy Female Gorilla)


Draft Horse - Animal Six

How to Breed Draft Horses - Percheron - Blegium Horse -TvAgro by Juan Gonzalo Angel

  
A draft horse (US), draught horse (UK and Commonwealth) or dray horse (from the Old English dragan meaning "to draw or haul"; compare Dutch dragen and German tragen meaning "to carry"), less often called a carthorse, work horse or heavy horse, is a large horse bred to be a working animal doing hard tasks such as plowing and other farm labor. There are a number of breeds, with varying characteristics, but all share common traits of strength, patience, and a docile temperament which made them indispensable to generations of pre-industrial farmers.



Draft horses and draft crossbreeds are versatile breeds used today for a multitude of purposes, including farming, draft horse showing, logging, recreation, and other uses. They are also commonly used for crossbreeding, especially to light riding breeds such as the Thoroughbred, for the purpose of creating sport horses. While most draft horses are used for driving, they can be ridden and some of the lighter draft breeds are capable performers under saddle.

Draft horses are recognizable by their tall stature and extremely muscular build. In general, they tend to have a more upright shoulder, producing more upright movement and conformation that is well-suited for pulling. They tend to have broad, short backs with powerful hindquarters, again best suited for the purpose of pulling. Additionally, the draft breeds usually have heavy bone, and a good deal of feathering on their lower legs. Many have a straight profile or "Roman nose" (a convex profile). Draft breeds range from approximately 16 to 19 hands high and from 1,400 to 2,000 lb (640 to 910 kg).



Draft horses crossbred on light riding horses adds height and weight to the ensuing offspring, and may increase the power and "scope" of the animal's movement.
The largest horse in recorded history was probably a Shire named Mammoth, who was born in 1848. He stood 21.2 hands (86 inches, 218 cm) high, and his peak weight was estimated at 1,500 kilograms (3,300 lb, about 1.47 tons). At over 19 hands (76 inches, 193 cm), a Shire gelding named Goliath was the Guinness Book of World Records record holder for the world's tallest horse until his death in 2001

History


Humans domesticated horses and needed them to perform a variety of duties. One type of horse-powered work was the hauling of heavy loads, plowing fields, and other tasks that required pulling ability. A heavy, calm, patient, well-muscled animal was desired for this work. Conversely, a light, more energetic horse was needed for riding and rapid transport. Thus, to the extent possible, a certain amount of selective breeding was used to develop different types of horse for different types of work.

It is a common misunderstanding that the Destrier that carried the armoured knight of the Middle Ages had the size and conformation of a modern draft horse, and some of these Medieval war horses may have provided some bloodlines for some of the modern draft breeds. The reality was that the high-spirited, quick-moving Destrier was closer to the size, build, and temperament of a modern Andalusian or Friesian. There also were working farm horses of more phlegmatic temperaments used for pulling military wagons or performing ordinary farm work also provided bloodlines of the modern draft horse. Records indicate that even medieval drafts were not as large as those today. Of the modern draft breeds, the Percheron probably has the closest ties to the medieval war horse.Extracting logs with a Clydesdale at Eglinton Country Park in Scotland.These Shire horses are used to pull a brewery dray delivering beer to pubs in England. In this picture, members of the public are being given a ride.

In the late 19th century and early 20th century, thousands of draft horses were imported from Western Europe into the United States. Percherons came from France, Belgians from Belgium, Shires from England, Clydesdales from Scotland. Many American draft registries were founded in the late 19th century. The Percheron, with 40,000 broodmares registered as of 1915, was America’s most numerous draft breed at the turn of the 20th century.A breed developed exclusively in the U.S. was the American Cream Draft, which had a stud book established by the 1930s.

By the 19th century, horses weighing more than 1600 pounds that also moved at a quick pace were in demand. Tall stature, muscular backs, and powerful hindquarters made the draft horse a source of “horsepower” for farming, hauling freight and moving passengers, particularly before railroads came on the scene. Even in the 20th century, draft horses were used for practical work, including over half a million used during World War I to support the military effort.