On the socio-sexual behaviour of the extinct ursid Indarctos arctoides: an approach based on its baculum size and morphology
Abella, Juan (Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont)
Valenciano Vaquero, Alberto (Universidad Complutense de Madrid. Departamento de Paleontología)
Pérez-Ramos, Alejandro (Universitat de València. Institut Cavanilles de Biodiversitat i Biologia Evolutiva)
Montoya, Plinio (Universitat de València. Departament de Botànica i Geologia)
Morales, Jorge (Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (Madrid, Espanya))

Date:	2013
Abstract:	The fossil bacula, or os penis, constitutes a rare subject of study due to its scarcity in the fossil record. In the present paper we describe five bacula attributed to the bear Indarctos arctoides Depe'ret, 1895 from the Batallones-3 site (Madrid Basin, Spain). Both the length and morphology of this fossil bacula enabled us to make interpretative approaches to a series of ecological and ethological characters of this bear. Thus, we suggest that I. arctoides could have had prolonged periods of intromission and/or maintenance of intromission during the post-ejaculatory intervals, a multi-male mating system and large home range sizes and/or lower population density. Its size might also have helped females to choose from among the available males.
Grants:	Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad CGL2011-25754 Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad CGL2011-28681
Rights:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, la comunicació pública de l'obra i la creació d'obres derivades, fins i tot amb finalitats comercials, sempre i quan es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original.
Language:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió publicada
Published in:	PloS one, Vol. 8, Issue 9 (September 2013) , art. e73711, ISSN 1932-6203

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0073711
PMID: 24058484

5 p, 452.3 KB

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Research literature > UAB research groups literature > Research Centres and Groups (research output) > Experimental sciences > Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont (ICP)
Articles > Research articles
Articles > Published articles