Immobility and supination in garter snakes (Thamnophis elegans) following handling by human predators.

A common response of animals to physical restraint is tonic immobility. The authors observed the behavior of garter snakes, Thamnophis elegans, in the field to determine the frequency of immobility as a response to handling. Most snakes fled after release, but the remainder remained immobile, sometimes on their backs (supination), for up to 10 min. Immobility was seen most often in pregnant snakes, which also were more likely than other snakes not to have moved before capture. Failure to move, either before or after capture, might be a consequence of the limited locomotory ability of gravid snakes. However, the lack of observations of interactions between snakes and their natural predators impedes researchers' understanding of the antipredator value, if any, of tonic immobility. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Differential effects of courtship and mating on receptivity and brain metabolism in female red-sided garter snakes (Thamnophis sirtalis pareitalis).

In the female red-sided garter snake (Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis), the loss of receptivity following intromission during mating can be prevented by injection of a local anesthetic (tetracaine) in the cloacal region prior to courtship and mating. Females that were courted and then mated had significantly higher uptake of radio-labeled [1?C]2-fluoro-2-deoxyglucose (2-DG) in the preoptic area (25%) and significantly lower uptake in the ventromedial hypothalamus (-20%) compared with females that were courted but not mated. Tetracaine-treated females had accumulation patterns similar to courted but unmated females and to females exposed only to other females. These results suggest that in the female red-sided garter snake, sensory input from the cloaca during mating alters patterns of metabolism in those brain areas most often associated with female sexual behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Modification of Odor Investigation and Discrimination in Female Opossums (Monodelphis domestica) Following the Ablation of the Accessory Olfactory Bulbs.

To determine whether the vomeronasal system of the Brazilian short-tailed opossum (Monodelphis domestica) is important to the response to conspecific chemical signals, the authors tested female opossums with conspecific odors, before and after ablation of their accessory olfactory bulbs (AOBs). Anesthesia and sham treatments did not modify females' discrimination of conspecific odors when tested against water, between male and female odors, or between different odors from the same male donors. Odor investigation was partially diminished following partial ablation of the AOB, and complete ablation of the AOBs further impaired the ability of females to discriminate between certain odors. These findings provide the first evidence for the importance of the vomeronasal system in the detection of chemosignals of known origin in opossums. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Responses to olfactory stimuli in spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta): I. Investigation of environmental odors and the function of rolling.

Olfaction is crucial to spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta), yet there are no controlled studies of their reactions to odors. In Experiment 1, the authors examined responses of captive hyenas to various environmental (prey, nonprey animal, and plant) odors. Subjects approached and sniffed all odors equally but preferentially licked prey odors, scent marked next to odors, and rolled in animal-based odors. In Experiment 2, the authors examined the function of rolling by applying odors to the pelts of captive hyenas. When hyenas wore carrion, they gained positive social attention (increased investigation and allogrooming) from pen mates, but when they wore camphor, the normal social greeting ceremony was curtailed. Thus, olfactory stimuli elicit specific responses, influence where behavior is directed, and can be used to affect social interaction. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effect of vomeronasal organ removal from male mice on their preference for and neural Fos responses to female urinary odors.

Four experiments were conducted to determine whether vomeronasal organ (VNO) inputs in male mice mediate the rewarding properties of estrous female urinary odors. Sexually naive male mice with either an intact (VNOi) or lesioned (VNOx) VNO preferred to investigate female urine over water in Y-maze tests. Subsequently, VNOi males ran significantly more quickly and remained in nasal contact longer with estrous female urine than with male urine, whereas VNOx males investigated these odors equally. In home-cage habituation-dishabituation tests, VNOi males also investigated female urine significantly longer than did VNOx males, although both groups investigated female urine longer than other non-body odors. Finally, female urinary odors induced Fos in the nucleus accumbens core of VNOi males but not of VNOx males. Our results suggest that female urinary odors retain some incentive value in VNOx males. However, once direct nasal contact is made with female urine, VNO inputs further activate forebrain mechanisms that amplify the reward salience of this stimulus for the male mouse. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

How the great apes (Pan troglodytes, Pongo pygmaeus, Pan paniscus, Gorilla gorilla) perform on the reversed reward contingency task II: Transfer to new quantities, long-term retention, and the impact of quantity ratios.

We tested 6 chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes), 3 orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus), 4 bonobos (Pan paniscus), and 2 gorillas (Gorilla gorilla) in the reversed reward contingency task. Individuals were presented with pairs of quantities ranging between 0 and 6 food items. Prior to testing, some experienced apes had solved this task using 2 quantities while others were totally na?ve. Experienced apes transferred their ability to multiple-novel pairs after 6 to 19 months had elapsed since their initial testing. Two out of 6 na?ve apes (1 chimpanzee, 1 bonobo) solved the task--a proportion comparable to that of a previous study using 2 pairs of quantities. Their acquisition speed was also comparable to the successful subjects from that study. The ratio between quantities explained a large portion of the variance but affected na?ve and experienced individuals differently. For smaller ratios, na?ve individuals were well below 50% correct and experienced ones were well above 50%, yet both groups tended to converge toward 50% for larger ratios. Thus, some apes require no procedural modifications to overcome their strong bias for selecting the larger of 2 quantities. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)