RTI uses cookies to offer you the best experience online. By clicking “accept” on this website, you opt in and you agree to the use of cookies. If you would like to know more about how RTI uses cookies and how to manage them please view our Privacy Policy here. You can “opt out” or change your mind by visiting: http://optout.aboutads.info/. Click “accept” to agree.
Dyadic encounters between virgin female prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster) and males with various reproductive histories were analysed using observational techniques and sequential analysis. Unfamiliar, sexually inexperienced males interacted in a manner that would permit physical contact, pheromone transfer and the subsequent induction of female sexual behaviour. Low levels of olfactory investigation were seen among sibling males and females, which may account for the failure of such pairs to reproduce. Agonistic encounters were common between females and unfamilar sexually-experienced males, suggesting that fighting could also provide a behavioural barrier to reproduction.