Reproductive Behaviour of Eland (Taurotragus oryx)

Bc. Alexandra Tamchynová

Diplomová práce

Abstract:

Successful reproduction is one of the most crucial aspects of animal husbandry. The understanding of the behaviour during reproduction may prevent some aggressive encounters in group living animals and may increase the potential quality of next progeny or increase reproductive success in general, especially in non-domesticated species. As reproductive behaviour of common eland (Taurotragus oryx) is not studied in detail and quantified, I focused on farmed herd belonging to Czech University of Life Sciences in Lany (Czech Republic). I recorded a group of nine females and a male continuously for one month on cameras installed in the barn and analysed their behaviour prior, during and after the copulation. The aim was to find out if the length of copulation will be influenced by the male’s behaviour towards the female prior to copulation (licking, rubbing etc.) or by the response of the female. I calculated the length of pregnancy as a time between mating and the calf delivery which was 273.53 ± 2.33 days (mean ± SD) and compared it with other studies. Results show that the length of copulation was 4.08 ± 0.63 s (mean ± SD) and was not influenced by the male’s behaviour prior to the mating or by female’s behaviour towards the male (wrestling etc.). Time between copulations was influenced by the behaviour of the female during the copulation, when the female froze the mean time between copulations was shorter in comparison when she ran away. But to understand reproductive behaviour better, more studies with different males need to be done to fully understand complexity of eland reproduction.

Keywords

woo behaviour, ungulates, gestation, mating systems

Jazyk práce: angličtina

Datum vytvoření / odevzdání či podání práce: 27. 4. 2018

Obhajoba závěrečné práce

• Obhajoba proběhla 5. 6. 2017
• Vedoucí: Ing. Radim Kotrba, Ph.D.
• Oponent: Radka Šárová, externi

Česká zemědělská univerzita v Praze

Fakulta tropického zemědělství

Magisterský studijní program / obor:
Tropické zemědělství / Wildlife Management in Tropics and Subtropics