QUANTITATIVE-ANALYSIS OF THE COURTSHIP AND MATING-BEHAVIOR IN THE LOGGERHEAD MUSK TURTLE STERNOTHERUS-MINOR (REPTILIA, KINOSTERNIDAE) WITH COMMENTS ON COURTSHIP BEHAVIOR IN TURTLES

Courtship behaviors of 15 Sternotherus minor (seven males and eight females) were video recorded. Males perform nine motor patterns [approach, cloacal and bridge sniffing, turning (anterior and posterior) movements, mount, trailing, cloacal contact, intromission, and biting]. The females display two mutually exclusive motor patterns (biting and fleeing) and participate in two motor patterns involving both sexes (head-head and mutual grasping and interlocking of the tail). Transitions between the behavioral events in the flow diagram of courtship are numerous. The courtship is divided into five phases: approach, sniffing, turning, mounting, and fleeing. The probability of the first likeliest sequence (approach, mount, and copulation) leading to copulation never exceeds 0.005. Sniffing occurs in the second likeliest sequence (approach, sniffing, mount, and copulation). From actual data, courtships in turtles are divided into three types: (1) the mounting-courtship type (most of the behavioral action patterns are performed during the mounting), (2) the premounting-courtship type (several behaviors are performed by the male before mounting), and (3) the intermediate-courtship type. As other kinosternids, S. minor has typically an intermediate-courtship type. The male mounts the female very quickly. He exhibits only three premounting motor patterns: biting, turning movements, and head-head with the female.