Joy J E, Crews D
J Comp Psychol. 1985 Jun;99(2):145-9.
Mating in red-sided garter snakes is characterized by the formation of mating balls. Up to 100 males simultaneously court single females. The social dynamics of the formation of these mating balls was examined to determine whether the mating balls are formed simply because of a common attraction to the female or whether males are stimulated by the mating balls themselves. A sexually attractive female garter snake appears to be even more attractive to a male when she is being courted by other males than when she is alone. Male garter snakes courted females more actively when other males were also courting the female than when they were alone with her. There is a positive correlation between the number of additional males present and the amount of courtship activity shown by the test male toward the stimulus female. The extent to which the courtship activity of the test males was stimulated by the presence of additional courting males was not influenced by how actively the additional males courted.
红边袜带蛇的交配以形成交配球为特征。多达100只雄性同时向单一雌性求爱。对这些交配球形成的社会动态进行了研究，以确定交配球的形成仅仅是因为对雌性的共同吸引力，还是雄性受到交配球本身的刺激。一只具有性吸引力的雌性袜带蛇在被其他雄性求爱时似乎比独处时对雄性更具吸引力。当有其他雄性也在向雌性求爱时，雄性袜带蛇比单独与雌性在一起时更积极地向其求爱。在场的额外雄性数量与受试雄性对刺激雌性表现出的求爱活动量之间存在正相关。受试雄性的求爱活动受到额外求爱雄性在场刺激的程度不受这些额外雄性求爱积极性的影响。
