Male Gray Short-Tailed Opossums (Monodelphis Domestica) Receive Penile Intromissions When Treated with Estrogen and Progesterone in Adulthood

Abstract

Following treatment with estradiol and progesterone, gonadectomized male as well as female gray opossums received penile intromissions from intact stimulus males. Intromission was possible in male gray opossums because, like marsupials of both sexes, they possess a single cloaca-like anogenital opening. All subjects that allowed intromission showed anogenital dragging just prior to intromission. While intromission latency was similar in tests involving male and female subjects, total intromission duration was longer in tests involving male subjects than in tests involving female subjects, and sex locks were seen only in tests involving female subjects. These findings are discussed with respect to the potential usefulness of gray opossums for studying the effects of peripheral vs central factors on the display of sex differences in behavior.