Abstract
Sexual behaviors were recorded and urinary concentrations of total estrogens and pregnanediol-3-glucuronide (Pdg) measured during six normal menstrual cycles from two female lowland gorillas in a stable, captive group. Frequencies of female presentations, mounts, and copulations were positively associated with peak estrogen values but not with elevations of Pdg. These results support the observation that sexual behaviors in the gorilla occur most frequently in the periovulatory period and that copulations serve primarily a sexual function.
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Mitchell, W.R., Lindburg, D.G., Shideler, S.E. et al. Sexual behavior and urinary ovarian hormone concentrations during the lowland Gorilla menstrual cycle. Int J Primatol 6, 161–172 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02693651
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02693651