Sexual preferences of male hamsters: Importance of preweaning and adult experience, vaginal secretion, and olfactory or vomeronasal sensation

Sexual preferences play an important role in such fundamental processes as the origin of species, the evolution of sexual dimorphism, and the establishment of social organization. An appreciation that sexually reproducing organisms discriminate and display preferences with respect to different characteristics of potential sexual partners is critical to a full understanding of reproductive behavior. The purpose of the present work was to examine experiential and sensory factors influencing the sexual preferences of male hamsters.

The results of five studies indicate that male Turkish and Syrian hamsters are capable of discriminating females of their own species from females of a closely related species, and that they display a strong sexual preference for conspecific females. This preference is displayed by both virgin and sexually experienced adult males but is reduced or absent in animals reared by a female of a different but closely related species. A preference also is displayed to vaginal secretion from conspecific females; this preference, too, is independent of adult sexual experience. While vaginal secretion is sufficient for species discrimination and preference, it is not the only species-specific factor capable of sustaining such behavior. Bilateral removal of the main and accessory olfactory bulbs of male Syrian hamsters eliminated species preference, but section of the vomeronasal nerves alone had no effect.