Female tail wagging enhances sexual performance in male goats

Abstract

Preference testing has shown that sexually experienced male goats choose females that are tail wagging, a behavior that may function as both attractivity and proceptivity, over those that are not. We hypothesized that exposure to females expressing high rates of tail wagging would arouse males, increasing sexual performance. Tail wagging rate could be manipulated because we have shown previously that flutamide treatment increases the frequency of tail wagging in estrous goats. Sexually experienced males observed different stimuli for 10min before a 20min sexual performance test (SPT). The stimuli were an empty pen (MT), or groups of three females that were all estrous (E), non-estrous (NE), estrous+flutamide (EF) or non-estrous+flutamide (NEF). During the stimulus observation period, tail wagging was recorded. During SPT, frequencies and latencies of sexual behaviors were recorded. EF females displayed the most tail wagging. Viewing EF females before SPT increased the number of ejaculations attained by males and decreased the latencies to first and second ejaculation, as well as the inter-ejaculatory interval. Viewing estrous females (E and EF) before SPT decreased the latency to first mount, as compared to non-estrous females (NE and NEF). We conclude that male goats are sexually aroused by tail wagging. This study and previous work demonstrate that tail wagging functions as both attractivity and proceptivity in goats.