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Student’s Name Professor’s Name Course Number Date Animal Behavior Research - Sexual Selection in Cats Cats are known to have a distinct behavior when it comes to mating. Natoli et al., (456) state that the average age when the female cat becomes fully sexually mature lies between 6 to 9 months old. However, in some cases, female cats can start displaying sexual maturity behavior after the fourth month. The breeding season is most common towards the end of January and runs through to the beginning of March before skipping to September. At this time the cat is usually exposed to high amounts of daylight which according to West-Eberhard (157) tends to activate the sexual hormones of the animals. The female being observed cat comes to estrus and stays eager to breed within a span of 5 to 10 days. When the cat was young, her estrus would last for only 5 to 6 days, however, after two years the cat started being on heat for a long as 8 to 10 days. Anytime that she did not find a mate, it would take another 1 to 2 weeks she will get another estrus and another until she mates during the breeding season. Sexual selection is a matter of choosing who is best to mate with. Among cats, it is usually based on the female selecting the best male with the best gene. According to gene selection theory, the female opts to mate with males that display favorable characteristics that will ensure the survival of the offspring. Usually, the male is left to demonstrate his physical features such as strength and ability to dominate and survive in harsh environments. Among domesticated cats, the same form of sexual selection is observed (Liberg 119). Usually, when she is on heat, she
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