Ryan K D
J Reprod Fertil. 1985 Jul;74(2):503-7. doi: 10.1530/jrf.0.0740503.
Sexual maturation of immature ferrets in response to a stimulatory photoperiod generally occurs within 6-7 weeks after imposition of long days at 16 weeks of age. In this study, females were examined for evidence of ovarian maturation after 22 days of exposure to the stimulatory photoperiod, before any sign of sexual maturation. The photoperiod-stimulated and control females were the same age (19 weeks), had similar body weights, and showed no evidence of vulvar oedema. Comparison of oestradiol secretory response to hCG stimulation and of follicular development in the ovary revealed marked ovarian stimulation in females kept in long days compared to control females kept in short days. A prolonged period of ovarian stimulation therefore occurs during exposure to long days before there is external evidence of sexual maturation in ferrets.
未成熟雪貂在刺激性光周期作用下的性成熟通常在16周龄开始延长光照后的6 - 7周内发生。在本研究中，在暴露于刺激性光周期22天后，在出现任何性成熟迹象之前，对雌性雪貂进行卵巢成熟证据的检查。光周期刺激组和对照组的雌性雪貂年龄相同（19周），体重相似，且无阴门水肿迹象。与短日照饲养的对照雌性雪貂相比，长日照饲养的雌性雪貂对人绒毛膜促性腺激素（hCG）刺激的雌二醇分泌反应及卵巢卵泡发育比较显示，卵巢受到显著刺激。因此，在雪貂出现外部性成熟迹象之前，长时间暴露于长日照期间会出现一段延长的卵巢刺激期。
