TRANSITORY INHIBITION OF SCENT MARKING BY COPULATION IN MALE AND FEMALE RABBITS

The impact of sexual behaviour on the display of scent marking (chinni ng) was assessed in New Zealand white male and female rabbits Oryctola gus cuniculus L. In bucks, the occurrence of one ejaculation or six mo unts immediately decreased chinning frequency. This behaviour pattern remained depressed below pre-mating (baseline) levels at 30 and 60 min (P<0.01) following mounts or ejaculation. The execution of a single m ount also reduced chinning, although to a lesser extent and for a shor ter time (0 and 30 min; P<0.01) than after six mounts. Ambulation in a n open field was not modified by mounts or ejaculations. When copulati ng to satiety, males displayed 15-42 ejaculations across 2.6-8.4 h and were unable to ejaculate for at least the next 2 hours (criterion use d to establish sexual satiety). Following satiety, chinning frequency remained significantly below baseline for longer than after one ejacul ation (2 h). In intact oestrous females, the performance of one or thr ee lordosis responses significantly reduced both chinning and ambulati on (P<0.01). Results show that the display of mating rapidly activates a neural mechanism that inhibits chinning in male and female rabbits. The specific inhibition of chinning observed in males versus the gene ralized depression of activity detected in females is discussed. (C) 1 997 The Association for the Study oi Animal Behaviour.