Can jaguar (Panthera onca) ovulate without copulation?

Abstract

Threatened of extinction in Brazil, the jaguar is the largest predator in Latin America, playing an important role in the ecosystem where it is inserted. Despite of some important studies in this species, its reproductive physiology needs to be better understood for the development of more effective reproductive biotechnologies. One well studied biological aspect is the occurrence of ovulation following stimulation of the vaginal floor during copulation. This mechanical stimulation is responsible for the induction of ovulation in domestic and wild cats. Thus, the objective of the present study was to evaluate whether ovulation in captive jaguars can be induced by the above-mentioned mechanical stimulation but also by other forms of sensory stimulation. Nine jaguar (Panthera onca) females and six males were divided into three groups: Group 1 (four females), in which the females were close to the males, but with no possibility of copulation; Group 2 (three females), in which the females were in the same enclosure as the males, thereby being able to copulate; and Group 3 (two females), in which the females were completely isolated from any male of the species. Follicular growth was stimulated by administration of 800 IU of eCG, conducted three or five days before LOPU. In order to have certainty about the occurrence of ovulation, the ovaries were assessed by laparoscopy allowing the visualization of ovarian structures including follicles, recent ovulations, corpora hemorrhagica (CH) and corpora lutea (CL). Multiple CH were observed in the 2 females housed with males, as well as the two females kept in proximity of males, i.e. only visual contact (Group 1). None of the females in complete isolation from males showed CH or ovulation spots (Group 3). In summary, the seven females in contact or near proximity with males had multiple ovulations, regardless of copulation or not. Based on this evidence, we have established that jaguars are capable of two forms of induced ovulation: 1) the "mechanical" coitus-induced form that is traditional and thoroughly described for felines; 2) a "sensorial" form in which the nearby presence of a male can induce ovulation through the visual, olfactory and/or auditive senses. Further research is required for establishing the mechanisms and chemical mediators of sensorial stimulation. In addition, and consistent with expected results, we confirmed that females that received the same stimulation are incapable of ovulating when not exposed to any form of stimulation by males.

Keywords: Induced ovulation; Reproductive laparoscopy; Sensory stimuli.