Partner preference of intact and ovariectomized female gray short-tailed opossums (Monodelphis domestica)

Intact, ovariectomized and ovariectomized estradiol (E)-treated female gray short-tailed opossums were placed in a test situation in which they could choose between an intact and a castrated male. Intact females chose to visi t intact males first and visited them more frequently and spent more time w ith intact than with castrated males. Ovariectomized (OVX) females did not show this preference for visiting intact males over castrates. When compare d to OVX females with blank implants, OVX females with E implants spent les s time with castrated males. Like intact females, OVX and OVX-E-treated fem ales preferred to stay in close proximity to but not actually in the cage o f intact rather than castrated males. To our knowledge, this is the first e xperimental study of partner preference and its relationship to hormonal co ndition in a female marsupial, (C) 2000 Academic Press.