A possible role for Syrian hamster, Mesocricetus auratus, vaginal secretion in inter-female competition

Abstract

The ability of the vaginal secretions of hamsters to facilitate spacing among conspecific females was examined in three experiments. In the first study, vaginal substances were applied to one half of a testing arena. Naive females placed into this apparatus spent significantly more time on the clean side and tended to deposit vaginal secretions in this area more often. In the second experiment, vaginal odours were again applied to the testing arena. The donor of the secretion and a second female were then introduced into the arena and allowed to interact. The females whose odours had been applied in the arena were significantly more aggressive. The third study evaluated the effectiveness of vaginal odours to reverse a recently established dominance relationship between female pairs. In eight of 12 pairs, a reversal was observed if the previously subordinate hamster's odours were present in the testing enclosure during the second dominance determination. The results of these studies indicate that vaginal marks could serve to space females in the native habitat. These substances are capable of inducing avoidance of a scented area and influencing the outcome of dominance contests.