Courtship behavior and evacuation of the urinary ducts in captive brown house snakes (Lamprophis fuliginosus).

Successful mating in male snakes involves identification of receptive female and the ability to the transport sperm and secretions of the sexual segment of the kidney (SSK) to the female. We examined the ability of male snakes to detect a female by olfaction alone by placing the female in an opaque cage containing holes for odors to escape. Two males were used with one female in each trial. After 15 minutes the female was placed directly in the aquarium with the two males to determine her level of attractiveness. Females were attractive and courted by males in 88% of the trials (76 of 86). Males never courted other males. Males failed to detect the presence of caged females by olfaction alone. In none of the 86 trials did males investigate the holes on the cages of the females, indicating that the pheromone is not volatile. Uric acid/feces was excreted only in phase 3 (female in aquarium with males) of the experiments. In 40 of the 86 trials (47%) at least one male excreted uric acid/feces and in these trials the female was described as very attractive. Of the 46 males that excreted, 41 excreted uric acid without feces (89%). This paper documents the method snakes use to transmit SSK secretions to the female without contamination of uric acid.

* Aldridge, R.D., A.P. Bufalino and C. Robison. Department of Biology, Saint Louis University.