Post Copulatory Behaviour in Animals: Dismounting, Refractory Period, and Memory

Post copulatory behaviour in animals includes dismounting after ejaculation, followed by a refractory period during which sexual activity temporarily ceases.

This period varies by species and individual. Memory of past mating experiences also affects future sexual behaviour—positive experiences encourage mating, while negative ones may suppress it.

Dismounting

Immediately after ejaculation the dismounting takes place and the penis is withdrawn into the prepuce.

Both males and females often display post coital behaviors like vocal emissions, genital grooming, changing postural relationship, licking and nuzzling.

Post coital play is rare in farm animals like cattle, swine and horse. The male goat licks the penis after ejaculation. The ram stretches its head and neck.

Refractory Period

The refractory period in which either male, female or both will not engage in copulatory behaviour.

This period depends on degree of sexual rest prior to copulation, age of the male, degree of female novelty and number of previous copulations.

The refractory period is sometimes erroneously referred as Sexual exhaustion. This period should be considered as part of satiation rather than exhaustion.

Restimulation may occur after the refractory period while no further sexual behaviour can be induced even if sufficient stimuli are present.

Most males will not show interest towards female immediately after ejaculation. The period of refractoriness will vary between individual males. It can be modified by environment and new stimuli.

The boar and stallion reach exhaustion after few ejaculations than bull and ram.

The Coolidge effect can be defined as the restoration of mating behaviour in males that have reached sexual satiation when the original female is replaced a novel female. In other words, a sexually satiated male can be restimulated if exposed to a novel female.

Maximum number of ejaculations for exhaustion:

Memory

Memory is important in both positive and negative way. Positive experiences during copulation will promote the reproductive behaviour where as the negative inhibit the reproductive behaviour. Positive experiences will encourage the both the sexes.