DR. Muhammad Rehan
2- Maternal Behaviour
‫االمومـــــة‬ ‫سلوك‬
Definition (Concepts) of
maternal behaviour
 That behaviour exhibited by mothers towards
their young to aid their survival, growth and
development, both physically and behaviorally.
It is inherited behaviour
 Maternal behaviour in mammals (suckling
animals) exhibited by mother toward their
young, including feeding, protection, warming
growth, development and survival.

 Parental behaviour exhibited by both male and
female as in pigeons and other birds.
Classifications of Maternal
behaviour
 1-According to No.of youngs /
birth

Polytocus Animals

Monotocus Animals
 2- According to Nature of youngs:

Precocial young

Altracial young
Classifications of Maternal
behaviour
 3- According to Following dams :

Follower Animals

Hider Animals

Intermediate Animals
 4- According to stage of parturition:

Pre-parturient behaviour

Parturient behaviour

Post-parturient behaviour
Polytoccus Animals
 Mother give birth to more than one
or two youngs e.g. dog, cat, rate,
mice, hamster.
 Characters of their young ( altracial young )
 1- immature young
 2-helpless at birth
 3-sealed eye and
 4- Sealed ears until 2-3 weeks
Characters of their young ( altracial young )
 5-imobile( crawl around the dam)
 6-cannot eliminate them selves
 7-cannot regulate their body temp.
 8-They have no teeth (smooth gum)
 9-hairless
 10-depend completely on their dam
in feeding, warmth, protection and
elimination.
Polytoccus Animal (rat & mice)
(altracial young)
Polytoccus Animal (cat)
(altracial young)
Monotoccus Animals
 Mother give birth to one or two young
 e.g. cattle, horses, sheep, goat,
camel.
 Characters of their young (precocial young)
 relatively mature young
 opened eye
 opened ears
Characters of their young
(precocial young)
 4- can move, and stand
 5- can eliminate themselves
 6- can regulate their body temp.
 7- they have a teeth
 8- body covered with hair
 9- depend partially on their mother in
feeding and protection.
Monotoccus Animals
(precocial young)
3
-
According to Following dams

Follower Animals

Hider Animals

Intermediate Animals
Follower Animals
 Young spent most of time within a
very short distance of the mother to
be more safe
 e.g. cattle, sheep, horses
 in horse the young follow their
mother until grow older
Follower Animals
Foal follows his Dam
Follower sheep (Protection)
Hider Animals
 The kid is hidden for as long as eight
hours while the mother feed. after 5
days the kid stay with mother when
she feed
 e.g. goat
A Kid hides while another suckles
Intermediate Animals
Called Clinging species
e.g. Chimpanzees
Intermediate Animals
A- Maternal behaviour in
Monotoccus Animals
 Pre-parturient behaviour
 Parturient behaviour
 Post-parturient behaviour
Pre-parturient behaviour
 Restlessness
 Signs of pain looking and kicking at the flank (Mare)
 In Ewe vicious, pawing to the ground
 Vocalization increased
 Isolation from the herd to avoid disturbance
 Early maternal interest( lamb and calf stealing)
 Getting up and lying down
 Rolling on the ground (Mare and cats)
 Rubbing to any fixed objects
 Cessation of rumination (Cow-ewe)
Lamb or calf stealing
 It is high maternity
 It occurs in group housing animals
 as the parturition approached the
pregnant female showing early
maternal interest to the young of
other females that give birth in vicinity
she may care it and this called lamb
stealing
Pre-parturient behaviour in mare
 Mares isolate themselves from the
herd mates
 1 month prior:mammary gland begins
to enlarge and ventral edema

2 days prior: udder distended,
secretion changes to colostrum
 24 hours prior: waxing of teats
 4 hours prior: drips milk
udder distended
ventral edema
Relaxation of pelvic ligaments
waxing of teats
drips milk
Parturient behaviour
 1st
stage ( preliminary stage)
 2nd
stage ( expulsion of the fetus)
 3rd
stage (after birth stage)
1st
stage ( preliminary stage)
 Contraction of the abdominal muscle,
straining and pain
 Alternative standing and lying down
 Appearance of water sac
 It ends with rapture of the chorio-allantoic
membrane and straw colored fluid
 Accompanied by urination and defecation
Appearance of amniotic sac
Appearance of amniotic sac
1st
stage of calving
Appearance of amniotic sac
2nd
stage ( expulsion of the fetus)
• begin with the rapture of water sac and
end with the expulsion of the fetus
2nd
stage of labour
2nd
stage of labour
Head has passed through the vulva
2nd
stage of labour
2nd
stage of labour
2nd
stage of labour
2nd
stage of labour
Stages of parturition in Ewes
3rd
stage (after birth stage)
• Expulsion of placenta take 30 min. to six
hours.
• Eating of placenta called
Placento-phagia.
• Eaten in cow and buffalo
• Mares doubtful
• Not occur in she camel
Expulsion of placenta
Post-parturient behaviour
 Mother (dam) behaviour
 Newly born behaviour
 Mother-infant bond
 Recognition
Behaviour of the dam
 Standing of dam immediately
after birth
 Maternal grooming of newly born
 Maternal imprinting and
recognition
 Eating placenta (placento-phagia)
Maternal imprinting and
recognition
 Rapid, stable, irreversible learning
occur shortly after birth
( immediately) within a period called
critical period or sensitive period .
 The young follow its mother and the
mother- young bond is formed
through labeling and recognition.
Maternal grooming of newly born
 immediately, begins by the head,
body then limbs and hind parts
 Functions of licking
 1-dryness of young body.
 2-removal of fetal fluid from nostril and
mouth to stimulate respiratory center
 3-stimulation of cut, blood, lymph
circulation.
Functions of licking (cont.)
 4- help to stand.
 5- facilitate urination and defecation.
 6- increase muscular tone.
 7- labeling of young and recognition.
 8- aid in the formation of maternal
filial bond.
Licking Behaviour
• Social Licking
1. Promotes maternal-
offspring bond and
social bond among
herd members
2. Directed mainly to
the head and neck
of the calf
• Maternal Licking
1. It is designed to
stimulate calves to
eliminate wastes
(Urination and/ or
defecation)
2. Directed mainly to
the perineum region
of the calf
Maternal licking by a cow
Maternal licking by a buffalo cow
Social Licking by cow
Wet calf stimulate licking in cow
Licking by Mare
•
Foal has completely delivered but the
placenta is still attached
Eating placenta (placento-phagia)
Function of Placentophagia :
1
-
Contain hormones as estrogen, progesterone and
prolactine that important for milk yield
2
-
defence against predators by removing the odour
3
-
hygienic measures prevent micro-organism
4
-
affect on maternal immune response as it contain
factors prevent the formation of antibodies
against fetal antigen which might impair
subsequent pregnancies
.
5
-
Recycling of nutrients (Protein and minerals)
Behaviour of the Newly born
 1- Standing behaviour
 2- Udder searching or Teat seeking
 Suckling behaviour
Standing behaviour
 1- coordinating recumbence
behaviour
 2- elevation behaviour
 3- ambulation behaviour
 4- environmental exploration
 5- udder searching behaviour
 6- suckling behaviour
Coordinating recumbence
(attempt of young to stand)
Coordinating recumbence
elevation behaviour in buffalo
(upright equilibrium or 1st
standing)
elevation behaviour
(upright equilibrium)
ambulation behaviour
(attempt of young to walk)
Udder searching or Teat
seeking
 Newly born directed to the wrong
parts of the body in the 1st attempts
of suckling
 Guides of the calf to find teat may be
 1- the pendulus shape of the udder
 2- the movement of udder (udder tilting)
 3- temperature between thighs
(thigmotaxis)
Udder searching behaviour
 The mother also help the calf to find
teats by:
 1- rotating her body
 2- abduction the hind legs
 3- moving forward bringing the udder
closer to the calf
 4- licking the perineal region to stimulate
the calf to suckle
Udder searching in Mare
Udder searching in Mare
Suckling behaviour
 Posture of suckling
 Mechanism of suckling
 Rate and frequency of suckling
 Non-nutritional suckling
 Difference between sucking and
suckling behaviour
Posture of suckling
• Typical posture is the young stands
alongside the mother facing caudally
• There is often no teat preferences for front
or hind teats
• Abnormal posture may be
– 1- rear suckling
– 2- the calf stay in right angle with mother body
( perpendicular suckling)
Mechanism of suckling
 The calf grasp the teat with its mouth and
sucks vigrously
 It develops negative pressure by warping
thetongue around the teat
 It forms an air- tight compartment in oral
cavity which is necessary for milk flow
 - the calf butts the udder with its head in
buffalo
 - tail wagging and peaceful suckling
Peaceful suckling in cow
Peaceful suckling in cow
Peaceful suckling in Buffalo cow
Peaceful suckling in Mare
Peaceful suckling in she-donkey
Normal suckling behaviour in cow
Suckling behaviour in goats
Suckling behaviour in camels
Suckling behaviour in she-donkey
Suckling behaviour in Deer
B-Maternal behaviour of
Poly-toccus animals
 Pre-parturient behaviour
 Parturient behaviour
 Post-parturient behaviour
Pre-parturient behaviour
In dogs and cats
 - Licking of genital and abdominal areas 12-24
hours before labour.
 - drop in body temp
 - squatting posture as in defecation
 Scratching of ground
 - nest building is not pronounced
 - bedding for kittening or whelping is provided by
owner
 While in dogs it scratch rugs or towels and blanket
Building the birth site in cats
Whelping site building in bitch
In rodents (Rat & mice) &
Rabbits
 self Licking of genital and abdominal areas
during the last week of pregnancy.
 Nest building rabbits (straw nest)
 Plucking Hair from body (neck, thigh,
abdomen and back) to build maternal nest
few days before part. to maternal nest
 - increase restless, vocalization.
 - increase respiratory rate.
 Loss Appetite
Nest building In rabbits
Parturient behaviour
 1st stage

-uterine contraction

-lying down during this stage

-straining
2nd stage
 -abdominal contraction
 - the mother consume the fetal
membrane as the fetus passed and
licking them.
3rd stage
 - delivering of placenta and readily eaten by
mother

Functions of placentophagia
 -keep the nest clean and free from
 material which may attract bacteria.
 2-Some nutritive value to the mother protein
and water allow her
to stay in nest with her young.
Post-parturient behaviour
 Grooming of the young
 Nursing- sucking development
 Nipple exploratory movement
 Retrieving behaviour.
 Protection of young
Grooming of the young
 1st three weeks of life the dam licks
and grooming each new born .
 grooming directed to ano-genital
region to stimulate urination and
defecation .
 Fecal material consumed by mother
to keep nest clean
Nursing- sucking
development
Mother young interaction occur in
3 stages
1st stage
 from birth to 2.5 weeks (14 to 17 days)
 mothers play the major role in nursing,
licking ,nursing and suckling of young
 Mother initiates nursing by hovering
over the litter & arousing them to
nursing by licking them
 The young nuzzle into fur of mother,
find a teat & nurse
2nd stage
 From 3 weeks –5 weeks of age
 open eye and ears
 can leave the nest, recognize and
interact with mother outside the nest
 young here initiate suckling
 While mother facilitate suckling by
exposure nipple
3rd stage
 From 5 weeks – weaning
 young are able to take food from
other source
 nursing initiated and completed by
young
Nipple exploratory behaviour
 tactile cues (Texture of nipple )
 olfactory cues
 In dog, cat through saliva
Suckling behaviour in poly-toccus Animals
(Bitch)
Suckling behaviour in poly-toccus Animals
(Queen)
Suckling behaviour in poly-toccus Animals (Bitch)
Suckling behaviour in poly-toccus Animals
(Rat)
Retrieving behaviour
 Stimuli from young outside nest
 female grasping, each young with
incisors at mid dorsal region &
transport them back to the nest
 This occur at first week after birth.
Retrieving behaviour in rats
Retrieving behaviour in cats
Retrieving behaviour in big cats
Polytoccus animal (Protection)
Stimuli elicit maternal behaviour
 odour and taste: the presence of birth
fluid Stimulate licking
 Vocalization (distress calls) mother
distinguish young from calls
 altracial inaudible calls while Precocial
audible calls.
 Stimuli emanating at suckling :
 thermal contact or tactile stimuli
 Sniffing & licking them at suckling due to
butting nuzzling by young.
Stimuli elicit maternal behaviour
 Movement : newly born activity
specially during suckling
 Vigor or strong newborn stimulate dam
to lick him
 ● shape of the young (visual stimuli)
 ●protective response: defence
against predators to protect young.
Abnormal maternal
behaviour
 Suckling behaviour
 1- Cow suckle itself
 2- cow suckle another cow
 Abnormal suckling posture
 A- Perpendicular suckling
 B- Rear suckling
 3- Calf or foal rejection
A cow suckle itself
A cow suckle another cow
Abnormal suckling posture
(Perpendicular suckling)
Perpendicular suckling
Rear suckling in Buffalo
Calving interference
Calf rejection
Abnormal maternity
 Delay of standing of the dam
 Delay of licking the newly born
 Cow step on its calf or foal
 Eating of placenta
Abnormal maternal
behaviour
 Early maternal interest
early maternal interest to the young
of other females that give birth in
vicinity she may care it and this called
lamb stealing or calf stealing
Cross licking behaviour
Cow licks alien calf
Eating of placenta (Placento-
phagia)
Cross licking behaviour
( early maternal interest )
Calf stealing behaviour
(Early maternal interest)
Abnormal maternal
behaviour
 Cross suckling behaviour
 Cross fostering behaviour
 Inter-suckling behaviour
Cow suckle an alien calf
Or A calf suck alien cow (mother)
Abnormal maternal
behaviour
Miss-mothering behaviour
This may be due to the mother having
suffered a long and difficult birth and not
being able to stand up for suckling. The
calf may also be too weak to suckle. Cases
of mismothering are common with cows
calving in synchrony in intensively
managed maternity groups.
Cross Suckling behaviour
(Abnormal Maternal Behaviour)
Cross Suckling behaviour
(Abnormal Maternity)
Abnormal maternity in poly-toccus
Animals
• 1- Cannibalism (Eating litters)
• 2- Scattering behaviour
• 3- Dam failed to build the nest (nestless
dam)
• 4- miss-mothering
• 5- Pseudo-pregnancy
Litter scattering and
cannibalism in cats
Maternal behaviour in Kangaroo

P#5 Reproduction behavior in animals.ppt