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1 May 2007 Phenology of Attempted Matings in Gopher Tortoises
Valerie M. Johnson, Craig Guyer, Melissa D. Boglioli
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Abstract

Observations of behaviors associated with reproduction in Gopher Tortoises (Gopherus polyphemus) have been reported in several studies, yet no clear temporal pattern of such activities has emerged from these observations. We used remote cameras to monitor a total of 37 focal female Gopher Tortoises, from which we documented seasonal and diel patterns of mountings by males. This was done at two sites in southern Georgia that represent the best remaining tortoise habitat of the northern portion of the geographic distribution of the species. Mounting behavior occurred as early as March and as late as October and had a unimodal peak during July, August, and September, a pattern that mimics testosterone cycles in males and estradiol cycles in females. For all months during which mountings were observed, the majority of mounts occurred from 1500 hr to dusk, a pattern that was more pronounced during peak months of attempted matings. We estimated that individual adult females experience 26 mount attempts from an average of 6 to 14 males each year.

2007 by the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists
Valerie M. Johnson, Craig Guyer, and Melissa D. Boglioli "Phenology of Attempted Matings in Gopher Tortoises," Copeia 2007(2), 490-495, (1 May 2007). https://doi.org/10.1643/0045-8511(2007)7[490:POAMIG]2.0.CO;2
Received: 21 September 2005; Accepted: 1 December 2006; Published: 1 May 2007
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