Jump to: Page Content, Section Navigation, Site Navigation, Site Search, Account Information, or Site Tools.
|
|
ArticlesCopyright © 1983 by American Association for the Advancement of Science
Vaginal stimulation: an important determinant of maternal bonding in sheep
The immediate induction of the full complement of maternal behavior in nonpregnant ewes primed with estrogen and progesterone has been obtained after 5 minutes of vaginal-cervical stimulation. A similar period of such stimulation given to recently parturient ewes, after the development of selective bonding to their own lambs, reversed their rejection behavior of alien lambs and produced a state of plasticity in maternal behavior, such that ewes receiving vaginal stimulation would accept and adopt alien lambs. These findings implicate vaginal-cervical stimulation as playing a role in the onset of maternal behavior.
THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
|
Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)