Male gray short-tailed opossums (Monodelphis domestica) receive penile intromissions when treated with estrogen and progesterone in adulthood.
Following treatment with estradiol and progesterone, gonadectomized male as well as female gray opossums received penile intromissions from intact stimulus males. Intromission was possible in male gray opossums because, like marsupials of both sexes, they possess a single cloaca-like anogenital opening. All subjects that allowed intromission showed anogenital dragging just prior to intromission. While intromission latency was similar in tests involving male and female subjects, total intromission duration was longer in tests involving male subjects than in tests involving female subjects, and sex locks were seen only in tests involving female subjects. These findings are discussed with respect to the potential usefulness of gray opossums for studying the effects of peripheral vs central factors on the display of sex differences in behavior.
Fadem
B H
BH
Department of Psychiatry, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, New Jersey Medical School, Newark 07103, USA.
Erianne
D C
DC
D000818:Animals; D003307:Copulation / Q000502:physiology*; D004967:Estrogens / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D009893:Opossums / Q000502:physiology*; D011374:Progesterone / Q000502:physiology*; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D012733:Sex Differentiation / Q000502:physiology*; D012741:Sexual Maturation / Q000502:physiology*
D004967:Estrogens; D011374:Progesterone