The male red-sided garter snake (Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis): reproductive pattern and behavior

Abstract

Among the small group of species (e.g., some temperate zone turtles, snakes, and bats) that exhibit a dissociated reproductive pattern, the red-sided garter snake (Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis) is probably the most well studied. For these species, courtship and mating occur immediately upon emergence from winter dormancy; the gonads remain essentially inactive. Male red-sided garter snakes are a particularly informative animal model for examining the role of neuroendocrine factors associated with reproductive physiology and behavior because unlike species that exhibit an associated reproductive pattern, in which sex steroids initiate and control sexual behavior, reproductive behavior in the male garter snake appears to be independent of circulating sex hormone control. In fact, the only factor associated with the initiation of courtship behavior and mating in the male garter snake is an extended period of low temperature dormancy followed by exposure to warm temperatures. Yet the presence of sex steroid-concentrating neurons within the pathways regulating courtship and mating suggests that sex hormones may be involved in the activation of sexual behavior. Although circulating androgens are elevated upon emergence from hibernation, the initiation of courtship behavior and mating appears to be independent of direct androgen control. Thus steroid hormones may have indirect effects on mating behavior in animals that display "dissociated" reproductive behaviors.