Seremak Beata, Wojciechowska Aleksandra, Pilarczyk Bogumiła, Tomza-Marciniak Agnieszka
Department of Animal Reproduction Biotechnology and Environmental Hygiene, Faculty of Biotechnology and Animal Husbandry, West Pomeranian University of Technology, Janickiego 29, 71-270 Szczecin, Poland.
Animals (Basel). 2023 Jan 28;13(3):443. doi: 10.3390/ani13030443.
Ethograms can serve as benchmarks against which abnormal animal behaviour can be identified, and then normal behaviour can be restored by appropriately modifying the environment in which an individual resides. The aim of the present study was to create an ethogram of the reproductive behaviour of American mink kept in farmed conditions. The research material consisted of 12 one-year-old male American mink, pearl coloured, selected randomly from among the varieties of coloured mink on the farm, and 60 two-year-old females. The animals participating in the study were grouped into two breeding sets, each consisting of 30 females and 6 males. Reproductive rituals included chasing the female, grasping her neck with the teeth, marking the local area, mounting the partner, and sniffing the neck, anal and genital areas. The copulation times recorded in this study varied greatly, ranging from several minutes to over two hours. The obtained results indicate that the American mink can express some natural reproductive behaviour in breeding conditions, which may also be an indicator of the welfare of these animals.
行为图谱可作为识别动物异常行为的基准，进而通过适当改变个体所处环境来恢复正常行为。本研究的目的是创建一份圈养条件下美国水貂繁殖行为的行为图谱。研究材料包括从养殖场的彩色水貂品种中随机挑选的12只一岁珍珠色雄性美国水貂和60只两岁雌性水貂。参与研究的动物被分成两个繁殖组，每组由30只雌性和6只雄性组成。繁殖仪式包括追逐雌性、用牙齿抓住其颈部、标记局部区域、骑跨配偶以及嗅闻颈部、肛门和生殖器区域。本研究记录的交配时间差异很大，从几分钟到两个多小时不等。所得结果表明，美国水貂在繁殖条件下能够表现出一些自然繁殖行为，这也可能是这些动物福利状况的一个指标。
