Female mouse deer mates within 4-6 hours of delivery, reveals study

The researchers found that pheromones levels were significantly elevated in the female mouse deer during delivery, post-partum estrus and mating.

Hyderabad: Pheromones play a role in reproduction of mouse deer by bringing opposite sexes together for mating in the wild as they lead a solitary life.

Researchers of the city-based Laboratory for the Conservation of Endangered Species (LaCONES)- Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) had earlier found that the female mouse deer shows estrus and mates within 4 to 6 hours of delivery, which is the shortest post-partum estrus observed so far among large mammals.

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This finding led to a further study by Dr G Umapathy’s group at LaCONES-CCMB on understanding the reproductive physiology of the mouse deer using non-invasive methods. The researchers found that pheromones levels were significantly elevated in the female mouse deer during delivery, post-partum estrus and mating.

“We also found a positive correlation between pheromones and estrogens one week prior to post-partum estrus and mating. These findings suggest these pheromones play a role in reproduction of mouse deer by bringing opposite sexes together for mating in the wild as they live in solitary life,” said Dr Umapathy.

These findings have already helped in breeding of mouse deer at Nehru Zoological park but will also help other Indian zoos and elsewhere, he said. The LaCONES along with Nehru Zoological Park is part of conservation breeding and species recovery program of mouse deer initiated during 2010.

Mouse deer or Indian chevrotain plays a major role in the forest ecosystem as seed disperser and forms important prey for many small and large carnivores. Though it is commonly found in most of the forested areas, it has been listed in Schedule I and endangered in the Wildlife Protection Act (1972) due to frequent hunting for their bushmeat.

It was during the conservation breeding programme at the zoo, Dr Umapathy’s group studied the reproductive behaviour of mouse deer in captivity and discovered the occurrence of novel post-partum estrus (phase where the animal is ready to mate). They found that the female mouse deer shows estrus and mates within 4-6 hrs of delivery.

While analysing the hormone profiles, they discovered 16-androstenes sex pheromones (androstenone and androstanol) in mouse deer which have been previously reported to play a major role in the reproduction of pigs. The scientists examined molecular characteristics of these pheromones, their synthesis pathway and functions in the mouse deer reproduction.

These findings were recently published in the journal Cells, and the authors of the paper include Vinod Kumar, Manu Shivakumara, Caroline Karunakaran, Anupama Sekhar, Mamta Sajwan-Khatri, Sandeep Mushkam, Wasimuddin, Senthilkumaran Balasubramanian and Govindhaswamy Umapathy.