Dear all We are pleased to share a new paper on dolphin conceptive estrus behavior published in Animal Behavior and Cognition. Conceptive Estrus Behavior in Three Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) Holley Muraco1,*Stan A. Kuczaj II2 1Mississippi State University 2University of Southern Mississippi *Corresponding author (Email: holley@muraco.biz) Abstract - Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) are a highly promiscuous species that routinely engage in socio-sexual interactions, yet relatively little has been reported about actual estrus behavior. For this study of three female dolphins located at two aquarium facilities, 20 reproductive behaviors were investigated during three conceptive estrous cycles with known endocrinology. Reproductive behaviors increased with estradiol levels and peak occurrences of behaviors were observed during the luteinizing hormone (LH) surge. Two novel behaviors were observed: (1) genital tracking, an investigatory-type behavior, and (2) immobility, a novel form of standing heat estrus. These behaviors appeared to communicate reproductive readiness and increased copulation success. A total of 314 occurrences of estrus behavior were recorded in 10 hours of footage from the three focal females, and copulation spanned from day -9 to day 0 in one dominant female. Sexual interactions during estrus included female-to-female, immature male-to-female, mature male-to-immature male and masturbation with toys. During estrus, focal females received more behavioral attention than they initiated, and passive and active dorsal fin mounting between females was the most frequent behavior. These dolphins showed behavioral patterns similar to those reported in estrus cows where genitals are nuzzled, females mount and are mounted by other females, and standing heat intensity increases as LH levels rise. Keywords - Dolphin, Behavior, Estrus, Reproduction, Conception, Copulation, Estrous Citation - Muraco, H., & Kuczaj, S. A. II. (2015). Conceptive estrus behavior in three bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). Animal Behavior and Cognition, 2(1), 30-48. doi: 10.12966/abc.02.03.2015 The full paper can be downloaded at this link: http://abc.sciknow.org/archive_files/201501/03.Muraco_Kuczaj_FINAL.pdf Holley Muraco Zoological Reproductive Physiologist Email: <mailto:holley@muraco.biz> holley@muraco.biz Blog: <http://www.zooreproduction.com/blog/> http://www.zooreproduction.com/blog/ Twitter: @HolleyMuraco