Changes in behaviour and calls accompanying sexual maturity in cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus)

Abstract

Because the estrus cycle of cheetahs varies with their individual relationships and breeding environments, monitoring the cheetahs’ behavioral as well as their physical changes are important for promoting breeding efficiently; however, there is little research on behaviors and calls that signal estrus based on sexual maturity. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to obtain basic data on specific behaviors that indicate estrus to clarify their timing and accurately determine these characteristics in individual cheetahs. From 2009 to 2013, 22 cheetahs were observed at Tama Zoological Park, and the frequency of estrus-indicator behaviors and calls, the timing of these expressions, and the changes in the calls were analyzed. Our results clarified that both the behaviors and calls changed in those ~24 months old, which is presumed to be sexual maturity. “Object sniff” and “Groom” were expressed from birth to 6 months, with a slowest change being “Urine spray” in females at a later age. Other behaviors and calls were believed to begin to express or change with the cheetah’s separation from the parents at from 15~17 months old; however, when we observed the frequency with which the behavior was expressed from mature individuals, we observed four behaviors with individual differences in their expression. Therefore, we believe that the behavioral characteristics and expressions in males and females from 15~17 months old must be continuously monitored to be able to select specific estrus indicators on an individual basis.